The Fourth Horseman
by cheri1
Summary: 10 Rose Dark!Doctor eventually. Some Torture. The Doctor and Rose are captured and enslaved by a madman who wants to use the Doctor as a weapon to conquer the universe. FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Rose yawned and stretched as she emerged from her TARDIS bedroom into the hallway. Shivering, she looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm freezing this morning, girl. Can you turn the heat up a bit?"

She smiled as she felt the temperature rise almost immediately.

"Thanks girl."

The TARDIS hummed in reply.

She paused a moment.

"Where's the Doctor at? Is he in the console room?"

The TARDIS let out a grunt.

Rose smiled.

"Thought so."

She walked towards the console room.

She found the Doctor in his usual place under the console doing adjustments.

"Mornin' Doctor." She said, walking up.

"Mornin', Rose. Sleep well?" the Doctor replied from under the console.

"Yup."

"Fantastic."

Reaching down she squeezed his knee. She giggled as he jerked his leg back.

"Hey, quit that."

He slid out and gave her a grin.

"You better quit bothering me while I'm working on the TARDIS if you know what's good for you."

"Well, that's the only time I can bother you since you're always working on the TARDIS."

She frowned.

"Is the TARDIS falling apart that quickly?" she asked.

"Oh, no, no. I just like tinkering with her. It's a hobby of mine. Been that way for hundreds of years. You like buying shoes, I like fiddling with the TARDIS." He said, shrugging.

"Well, I do have other hobbies than buying shoes, you know." Rose said defensively.

"Well, I have other hobbies other than tinkering with the TARDIS."

"Coulda fooled me."

"Well, be glad I take such an interest in her. As old as she is, if I didn't keep performing maintenance on her she probably wouldn't have been able to last as long as she has especially with all the abuse that happens to her on our travels."

"Well, you keep on being a little grease monkey and I'll go get some breakfast."

"Okey-dokey."

"You want me to bring something out here?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry right now. Maybe later."

Rose leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then."

"Have a nice breakfast." The Doctor replied smiling.

Rose nodded. Straightening up, she headed off towards the kitchen as the Doctor slid back under the console. As she reached the door she paused as she heard the Doctor whistling to herself. She frowned as she listened to the tune.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Are you whistling 'Dancing Queen'?"

"Yes."

The Doctor slid back out and looked at her.

"Why? You not a fan of ABBA?" he asked.

"Um…They're okay, I guess. I just think it's strange that you would like them."

The Doctor shrugged.

"I like the song and the beat. I'm in a good mood so I thought I'd whistle a fun tune."

Rose smiled.

"Well, have fun whistling ABBA then."

The Doctor grinned and winked at her. He slid back under the console and Rose listened for a moment as he sang 'Dancing Queen' to himself before she turned and walked back to the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus ran quickly down the hall towards his master's chambers. After months and months of searching for the TARDIS at his bidding, they had finally located it on their screens. Pausing at the chamber door, he gathered up his courage. If there was one thing he knew it was that his master was not to be trifled with. The slightest hint of displeasure and he knew he could lose his life. He knocked tentatively at the door.

"Enter."

Ocelus composed himself and opened the door. His master sat in the middle of a room studying an ancient text. It was one of his obsessions. Collecting the written works of various worlds and studying them in his leisure time. He looked up as Ocelus entered and prostrated himself on the floor.

"Yes. What is it?" He said, bored.

"Master, the TARDIS has been sighted flying through the vortex."

Ocelus hazarded a glance and saw that his master had straightened in his chair and was looking at him with interest.

"At last, after months of searching I have found the Oncoming Storm. He is the final part I need to complete my ultimate weapon."

He grinned at Ocelus.

"Ready the tractor beam. I must have him!" he said.

Ocelus touched his head to the floor and without another word went quickly out of the room and closed the door.

His master smiled to himself as he went back to the text he was reading. It was an Earth Bible and he had been reading through the section entitled Revelations. He chuckled.

"The last Time Lord and he is now in my possession." He said. "And after a few "adjustments" he will become my willing soldier and help me conquer the universe."

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Rose spluttered as the TARDIS suddenly jerked and milk from her cereal splashed all over her face.

"Hey, Doctor! Watch it!" she said, grabbing a napkin. "I'm trying to eat back here!"

She screamed as the TARDIS jerked violently, throwing her to the floor.

"Doctor?" she yelled. "What's going on?"

"We're caught in a tractor beam, I think!" she heard the Doctor yell back.

"Oh wonderful." Rose muttered, picking herself up the floor. "If it's not one bloody thing, it's another."

Sighing, she hurried out of the kitchen towards the console room.

As she entered, she saw the Doctor scrambling around the console pushing buttons and muttering under his breath. As she walked onto the metal walkway the Doctor spied her and rolled his eyes as an angry puff of air escaped his lips.

"Damn these sods and their tractor beams," he said to her. "It causes that much more wear and tear on the TARDIS."

"Can you get us out of it?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Working on it." The Doctor muttered, distracted, as he flicked buttons and switches and levers at lightning speed.

Rose bit her lip and stood by helpless as the Doctor moved around the console, cursing. It was times like this that she wished he had taught her how to fly it so she could at least help him. Wringing her hands, she stepped back as the Doctor moved past her.

"Doctor?" she said, frightened.

The Doctor looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. Whatever it is, we can handle it." He said, smiling at her.

They both gasped as something hit the TARDIS and they were thrown to the walkway. Rose gasped and winced as she landed hard on her side. The Doctor crawled to her and helped her sit up.

"You okay?" he asked, putting his hand on her back.

Rose nodded. The Doctor rubbed her side as he helped her to her feet.

Suddenly, the TARDIS descended into darkness as all the lights went out.

"Oh bollocks!"

"Doctor?"

"Power cells must have been damaged by whatever hit us." She heard him say. "Nice. That'll be an hour and a half getting them back online. Whoever is doing this is gonna get a piece of my mind, that's for bloody sure!"

Rose felt him wrap his arms around her and pull her close to him. She felt him slightly urging her over to the console and she walked with him.

"Don't wanna lose you in the darkness." He explained. "Especially since we don't know what is doing this to us."

He let go and kept his hand on her back as she heard him hitting more switches and buttons in the darkness.

"Come on, girl. Give us some residual power at least." He pleaded.

As Rose stood and held onto the console she suddenly felt funny. It seemed like it was getting harder to breath.

"Doctor?"

"Oh crap!"

"Doctor!"

She gasped as the Doctor seized her from behind and started pushing her towards the back door.

"Doctor? What's going on?"

"They're draining the oxygen!" he shouted. "I have to get you back to the supply room. Get an oxygen tank!"

"What about you?"

"I can use my respiratory bypass system to survive! It's you I'm worried about! Now move!"

Rose allowed the Doctor to guide her in the dark. She had been living with him for two years but he had been on the TARDIS 900 years so she let him move her body and guide her back to the supply room.

Except…it was getting harder to move now. Her lungs were burning and her legs felt like lead. She gasped as she began to slow down.

"Come on, Rose. You can do it." The Doctor urged behind her. "Come on, it's not far now."

Rose shook her head. Gasping and wheezing, she felt herself sink to the floor as the Doctor held onto her.

"No, Rose."

He was choking up, she could tell. She could almost see a tear running down his face as she sank to the floor. As her eyes stared into the Dark, she heard the Doctor hovering over her cursing himself for being too slow.

"It's not your…fault…Doctor." She gasped out. "It's…me."

She felt his hand run tentatively up her body in the dark. Finding her face, he stroked her cheek.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered. "I'm not going far. I'm going to get the oxygen pack. Just please hold on for me. Please."

As her world faded into darkness, she felt the Doctor kiss her cheek and whisper "Have faith in me, Rose. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Then she lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ocelus entered the room and looked at the occupants. The Time Lord and the woman that was in the spacecraft with him were unconscious; strapped down on tables that were next to one another. IV's fed a special drug into their veins that would keep them docile and under control. Ocelus had not been there when they were taken, but from what he had heard, the guards had managed to open the doors after the master had gained control of the ship and cut off its power and oxygen supply. Using night vision, they had searched the ship for its occupants. The female they had found unconscious. The Time Lord had been surprised coming out of a room and knocked unconscious with a stun laser.

Ocelus looked at the young female who was breathing normally with an oxygen mask over her nose. He had been surprised to find out she had been on board. He had only expected the Time Lord. But when he told his master about it, he shrugged and told him that this Time Lord who was called the Doctor made a habit of carrying passengers along with him in his travels. He had been expecting at least one other occupant with him. Ocelus didn't ask any further questions. He existed only to do the master's bidding and that was enough.

He walked over to the Doctor and looked down at him. He had been stripped to the waist as had the female and their clothing lay in a pile in the corner of the room. He glanced down and picked up the Doctor's right hand. He noticed a silver ring on the Doctor's ring finger. Intrigued, he moved the Doctor's hand up slightly staring at the rose engraved on it. Putting his hand back down, he inched up towards the Doctor's face and stared at him. As he looked at his youthful features, he frowned. This was the powerful Time Lord the master spoke about? The one who was to lead his minions and subjugate worlds? This rail-thin man with the pretty face was going to terrorize populations and bring them to their knees?

Ocelus shrugged. The master knew what he was doing. He knew more than him about this Time Lord and what he was capable of. He was only here to tend to the burn the Doctor had incurred from the stun laser.

Going to a nearby counter, he reached up into a cupboard and brought down a special healing ointment that would heal the burn mark. He opened the jar and dipped his hand in for a small amount of the greenish gel. Walking over to the Doctor, he carefully rubbed it on his chest completely covering the wound with it. As he finished up, he looked up at the Doctor's face as he heard him let out a soft groan. As his eyes fluttered open, Ocelus walked back to the counter and wiped his hand off with a small towel.

"Where…am…I?" he heard the Doctor say in a groggy voice.

Turning, Ocelus saw that the Doctor's eyes were trying to focus in on him.

"Who…are…you?" he asked him.

"I am a servant here. That is all you need know about me." Ocelus informed him.

"Rose…where…is…she?"

Ocelus frowned for a moment and then realized he must mean the female. He pointed over to her and the Doctor slowly turned his head and stared at her.

"Rose." He heard him say to her. "Rose?"

The Doctor turned his head back to Ocelus.

"What…have…you…done…to…her?" he slurred out.

"I have done nothing to her. She was found unconscious in your ship. She was brought here and given oxygen and she is breathing fine now. I was not present when she was taken or brought here. I came in here because I was ordered to treat your wound."

"My…wound?"

"The burn mark you received from the stun laser." Ocelus replied, pointing to his chest.

The Doctor tried to raise his head to look, but he was too groggy from the drug. He looked back at Ocelus.

"What…do…you…want…with…us?"

"I want nothing. I'm in the service of my master. He is the one who has brought you and…Rose…here."

"Who…is…your…master…then?"

Ocelus hesitated. He wasn't sure if the master wanted the Time Lord to know who he was yet.

"I will let my master introduce himself when he feels the time is right." He finally answered. "As I said, I am only in here to treat your wound and that is all. I have no idea what my master wants with you so it's no use asking me. I do only as I am told and that's it."

"And…that's…okay…with…you? Being…a…slave?"

Ocelus hesitated. No one had ever asked him anything like that before.

"My master found me when I was a baby. My parents did not want me and abandoned me out on a hill to die. In return for saving my life, the master wishes my absolute obedience and I have agreed to give him that."

"Why?"

Ocelus began to get uncomfortable. He was not used to questions.

"I…owe him my life. If I must spend my life in bondage as a way to repay him for saving me then I will do it. It is better that I live and be a slave than to be dead."

"I…would…rather…die…than…be…a…slave."

"Well, that is your opinion, not mine. Living, even if it is under enslavement, is better to me than dying."

The Doctor looked back at Rose as Ocelus checked his restraints.

"Put…her…clothes…back…on…her." He said, looking at Ocelus.

Ocelus ignored him, finished checking the restrain on his right leg and went around the other side of the Doctor's table to check the restraints on that side.

"I said…PUT HER CLOTHES ON!"

Ocelus jumped. He looked at the Doctor and saw the effects of the drug were starting to wear off. He was regaining strength. Ocelus saw the rage in his eyes and gulped. As the Doctor started to fight his restraints, Ocelus ran over to the machine controlling the flow of the drug. He quickly upped the dosage on the Doctor's side and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the fight slowly go out of him.

Ocelus' heart was beating in his chest. They had miscalculated the amount of drug it would take to subdue him. He had upped it and now the Doctor was docile again but for how long? He hoped the master would come in soon and take over. He had no doubt now that the Time Lord would go after him if he regained his lucidity. And judging from what he had just seen, he was sure the Time Lord would have no trouble defeating him.

Hurriedly, he ran back over and checked the Doctor's and the female's restraints as the Doctor's eyes burned with quiet fury. Taking one last look at him, he quickly exited leaving the Doctor and the female alone in the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Enter"

Ocelus entered and prostrated himself.

"Speak."

"Master the Time Lord is awake."

He glanced up and saw his master's eyes agleam with delight.

"Is he now?" he said.

"Yes, master. And he almost broke free from the restraints. The dosage I gave him wasn't enough. I had to increase it."

He flinched expecting punishment for miscalculating the dosage. Instead, his head jerked up as he heard his master laughing.

"Master?" he said, confused.

"Excellent. Just excellent!"

"It is?"

"Oh yes. It shows that the Doctor is just as strong a fighter as I imagined him to be. None of the others woke up so quickly or recovered so fast. He is the one who is fit to lead my other horsemen. I have found the fourth at last."

Ocelus frowned. He hated when he started talking like this. He had no idea what he meant and it made him unsure of how to answer him. A very dangerous position for him to be in.

"Yes, master." He said simply.

He paused for a moment and looked up at him.

"Master, I'm not sure how much of the drug will keep him docile. It may wear off again."

His master paused thoughtfully.

"You are right. But this drug is only a temporary measure. I do wish to talk to him when he is lucid enough to tell him of the destiny I have in store. Then, when he knows exactly what will become of him, I will give him a specially made drug of my own design. The one that I have given all the others. It will mold his mind and turn him into my soldier."

"What of the female?" Ocelus asked.

His master grinned.

"She is very beautiful. I think I will give her a special place in my harem and in my bed."

"The Time Lord may object to that."

"Did he indicate feelings for her?"

"Yes, master. He called her Rose and there is a silver ring on his right hand with a tiny rose engraved on it. He was upset too that she was unclothed. It was one of the reasons he was trying to escape his restraints."

His master clapped his hands together.

"Excellent! Then we will use her. We will turn his love for her against him and once his will is broken he will be like putty in my hands."

He indicated the door.

"Go and get a blood sample from this…Rose. I will need it to help with my plan to bring the Doctor under my power."

"Yes, master."

"As for the Time Lord, I will be in presently to deal with him. I am sure he is anxious to find out who has invited him here."

"Yes, master, he is."

"I thought as much. Now go and do as I command."

Ocelus touched his head to the floor, rose and left to do his master's bidding as he chuckled to himself and turned back to his book.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus paused as he entered the room and saw the Doctor fixed him with an angry gaze. He could tell he was still drugged, but only just enough to keep him from breaking free.

"You again?" he said with a slightly slurred voice. "What's wrong? Is your master afraid to show himself to me?"

Summoning his courage as the Time Lord's eyes bore into him; he shrugged and walked over to the counter.

"I believe I told you my master would reveal himself to you when it was time and not before."

The Doctor watched as he opened a drawer and got out a syringe and a test tube.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked.

"My master has commanded me to get a blood sample from the female."

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Ocelus' heart caught in his throat as he heard the Time Lord's angry yell behind him. He gulped down his fear resisting the urge to run over and up the dosage once more. It was already at a level that would kill a normal person. He was afraid if he upped it more, it would kill the Time Lord, and then he would die for it. Trying to keep his face impassive, he turned to face the Doctor who had a look of wild eyed fury as he tried to break free of his restraints.

"She…she will not be harmed." Ocelus explained, trying to calm the Time Lord down. "My master only requires a blood sample, nothing more."

"I don't care what he requires. You leave Rose alone or so help me, Rassilon; I will break free and ring your bloody neck!"

Ocelus stood frozen in his tracks. He was terrified of the Time Lord. He had never seen anyone take so much of the drug and still be able to put up a fight. The enraged look chilled him to the bone. He had seen the same look on his master's face whenever he was displeased with someone and usually that person ended up dead. He questioned the master's sanity in taking this Time Lord's female as a concubine. If he got this mad over someone taking a blood sample from her arm…

But fear of the master was greater than the fear he had of this Time Lord and so he grabbed the syringe and hurried around the Doctor's table keeping his eyes averted so he wouldn't have to look at his enraged face. Keeping his back to him, he reached down with one hand and felt for the vein in the female's arm.

"You'll pay for this." He heard the Doctor say menacingly behind him. "I don't know what you and your master are up to, but rest assured it will be stopped and you will both have to deal with me!"

Ocelus gulped. He nervously stuck the syringe in the female's arm and gritted his teeth as he missed the vein. He winced as the female moaned and the Time Lord cursed him. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and reinserted the syringe breathing a sigh of relief as he managed to hit the vein. Slowly he pulled back on the end and watched as the blood flowed in. He glanced over as the female moaned again and he could see she was waking up.

"Rose." He heard the Time Lord say.

Filling the syringe with blood, Ocelus pulled it out of her arm as the female's eyes began to flutter open. He hurried around the Doctor's table avoiding the look of death he was giving him. He opened a drawer and grabbed a test tube. He inserted the needle into the plastic seal at the top and emptied the blood into it. He hazarded a glance back at the Doctor and was relieved to see his attention was focused on the female who was now awake and looking around in a drugged daze. Seizing the opportunity, he threw the syringe away and clutching the precious vial of blood to his chest quickly hurried out the door before he enraged the Time Lord further.

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"Rose?" The Doctor said softly as he watched Rose glance around the room in confusion. "Rose, it's me. It's the Doctor."

Rose finally focused her gaze on him.

"Doctor?" she slurred out.

"Yes, Rose, I'm here." He said giving her a reassuring smile.

"Where…are…we?"

The Doctor's hearts ached as he watched Rose struggle to become lucid.

"I don't know. I was unconscious when we were brought in. I don't know where we're at or what our "host" wants with us. All I've met is one servant and the only thing he's done so far is put medicine on me, take a sample of your blood and piss me off."

"Are…you…alright?"

The Doctor smiled at her.

"I'm fine. Apparently, I was hit with a stun gun. He put some kind of ointment on my chest. Hopefully it's there to heal me."

He stared at her worriedly.

"Are you alright?"

"I…can't…focus…my…eyes. I…feel…so…tired."

The Doctor's eyes flared with rage for a moment. Whoever this master was, he would pay dearly for this.

"He's drugged you. He's drugged me too, but my body can fight off the effects better than yours can. I feel very groggy and weak, but only just. The dosage I had earlier quickly wore off."

"What…do…they…want…with…us?"

"I don't know. I expect we'll find out soon enough though." He said tenderly. "In the meantime, I'm here with you watching over you."

He sighed as he saw a small smile form on Rose's face. He ached wondering what they were going to do with her. Someone hurting him, he could deal with. Someone hurting Rose was another matter entirely. As he stared at her eyes filled with love, he cursed himself for being so slow to get back to her. But then again, how was he to know they would be able to breach the TARDIS's defenses. He stared into Rose's trusting gaze and prayed that he wouldn't fail her again.

He looked over as the door began to open.

"Well, well, our friend is…"

He stopped short as he saw it wasn't the slave from before; it was a middle-aged man dressed all in black. The Doctor guessed that this was the so-called master.

"So, you are both awake now; excellent." He said to the Doctor. "Then shall we begin to get to know one another?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Who are you?"

He looked over at the Doctor who was raising his head up and glaring at him. He glanced over at the female and saw she was in a drugged daze; trying to focus her eyes enough to see him clearly.

"I repeat; tell me who you are!"

He glanced back at the Doctor and smiled.

"My, my, Doctor. So inquisitive. I am not used to being ordered around. I'm used to giving orders."

He glanced back at the female and stared lustfully at her breasts.

"Ignore her and answer me! Who are you?"

He shrugged and walked around to the Doctor's right side.

"Very well. If you insist." He said with an amused smile.

He paused and glanced down at his ring. His amused smile widened as the Doctor balled his hand into a fist and glared at him. He gave the Doctor a hurt look.

"I was not going to take it from you, Doctor. I was only admiring it. It is very beautiful."

He looked at Rose.

"Did you give this to him?"

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"Don't say anything, Rose. Let me handle this." He said to her.

He looked down at the Doctor.

"My, my…so authoritative. Excellent. Leadership qualities are just the thing I'm looking for."

He smiled as the Doctor stared at him in confusion.

"I am Alcanthus Melthadon, Doctor. I know your name and I believe your charming companion is called Rose from what Ocelus tells me."

"What do you want with us?"

Alcanthus leaned against the counter and smiled at the Doctor as he folded his arms over his chest.

"I have a job for you. A very special job."

"Thanks, but I already have a job, I don't need another."

"Oh, but my job for you is far better than being a mere Time Lord."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Oh really, and what is this awesome job then?"

"Patience, my Doctor, patience. First you have to pass a simple test. Then I will let you in on what the job is."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"What sort of a test?" he asked.

He frowned as Alcanthus gave him an enigmatic smile. He watched as he walked around his table and his eyes widened in horror as he went straight to Rose.

"I told you to leave her alone! You will deal with me and me alone!" he said angrily.

Alcanthus ignored him and smiled down at Rose as she tried to avert her eyes.

"Such a pretty thing." He said, giving her a sickeningly sweet smile. "No wonder you are so taken with her, Doctor."

"I'm warning you, Alcanthus. Stay away from her!"

He smirked. Deliberately shifting his body so the Doctor would have a clear view, he reached down and began to fondle Rose's breasts.

"Dammit, get your hands off her!" the Doctor screamed.

Alcanthus smirked as he listened to the Doctor's rage.

"Excellent. Just excellent." He muttered to himself.

He smiled down at Rose as she turned her head and averted her eyes.

"So soft." He murmured to her as he rubbed his hands over her naked body. "Not a blemish in sight either."

He turned and looked at the Doctor who was straining every muscle in his body trying to break free from the restraints.

"Have you touched her skin, Doctor?" he said. "It's so soft."

"I'll kill you! Once I break free, Alcanthus, you are dead!!!!"

Alcanthus chuckled as he looked at the Doctor's enraged face. He looked back at Rose.

"I have a job for you as well, my dear. I believe you will keep me warm at night lying against me with your soft, creamy skin."

The Doctor roared out his rage as Rose gave him a defiant look. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. The Doctor yelled out his rage as Rose jerked her head to the side.

Alcanthus turned back to him and gave the Doctor a triumphant smile.

"Well, done, Doctor. You have passed your test. I am pleased."

"I will kill you, I swear I will!"

"Oh I have no doubt you would, Doctor. You see, I know something about you and your race and I know about the darkness within you!"

The Doctor stopped struggling for a moment and stared at him in confusion.

"Wha?" he said.

"Oh come now, Doctor. Surely you know the theories about what happens to a Time Lord in his later regenerations? How the strain messes with your sanity?"

The Doctor glared at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied.

Alcanthus chuckled.

"Oh I believe you know exactly what I'm talking about, Doctor. You see, I'm quite a collector of texts from all across the galaxy and some years ago a few of your people's writings came into my possession. Quite interesting reading. Especially about the Time Lords."

He leaned down.

"There's quite a lot written about you as well, Doctor. In your own people's writings and in other civilization's writings as well. You're quite a legend."

The Doctor glared at him silently.

"What, are you too modest to acknowledge that?"

"I don't care."

"You don't? You don't care about all the myths and stories that are written about you? About the alien races who whisper your name in fear and awe? About all the good things you've done? It doesn't make you proud knowing that you are the talk of the universe?"

"No, I don't care about that."

"And what do you care about, Doctor?"

He smirked.

"Let me guess. You care about the lovely creature lying on the table behind me."

His smirk widened as the enraged look returned.

Alcanthus leaned down and stared deeply into the Doctor's eyes.

"Yes, there it is." He whispered.

The Doctor frowned.

"What are you talking about?" he said.

"The darkness."

The Doctor widened his eyes.

"What?"

"The darkness. The insanity that comes in a Time Lord's later regenerations. It's there. I can see it just bubbling below the surface waiting to be unleashed."

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Oh come now, Doctor. Quit playing dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The evil that exists inside you. The dark side. The insanity. It's there and I just saw a glimpse of it when I put my hands on Rose. Ocelus saw it too. With every regeneration more and more of the darkness is let through. And it will continue that way until your very last regeneration when the darkness will take over completely. That is the theory is it not?"

The Doctor stared at him.

"I have heard something about that." He conceded.

"Doctor? What…is…he…talking…about?"

Alcanthus looked over at Rose.

"Oh, didn't you know? Your lover is slowly going insane. The darkness within him is turning him into a cruel and evil man."

"No…that's…not…true." Rose protested. "The…Doctor…is…good."

She looked at the Doctor and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Ignore him, Rose." He said.

"No, don't ignore me." Alcanthus said.

He leaned down to Rose.

"You've seen it too, haven't you? The darkness. Has he ever acted in a cold and merciless way?"

Rose gulped. She glanced over at the Doctor and stared at eyes filled with love. She felt tears coming to her eyes as she remember how much he had wanted to destroy the Dalek in Van Statten's compound. How he had killed the Sycorax leader and walked away without a second glance muttering about how there were no second chances with him. How he had killed several more of his enemies without batting an eye. She had dismissed all of it in the past. After all, the ones he killed were evil and were a threat to the universe. But she had to admit that Alcanthus was right. Sometimes just below the surface she could see there was a spark of insanity in his eyes that unnerved her, and the way his eyes darkened when he was filled with rage…but…the Doctor was good. He would always be good. Wouldn't he?

Alcanthus smirked as he saw the conflict in Rose's eyes. He looked back at the Doctor.

"So you see, even your lover sees it within you." He said, walking back to him.

He put his hands on the table and leaned over into his face.

"And what if one day you went too far and caused her death?" he asked.

The Doctor gritted his teeth.

"I would never hurt Rose. NEVER!" he said emphatically.

"Are you sure about that?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"I know all about this theory, yes." He said. "I admit there have been some Time Lords who have gone insane near the end of their lives. But not all of them. I admit there is some darkness within me, but it is kept under control and it will stay that way until I take my last breath in my last body. I will NOT succumb to evil and insanity and I WILL NOT hurt Rose!"

He leaned his head up until he was inches from Alcanthus's face.

"However, I will hurt you if you do not let me go, let Rose go and let my TARDIS go and LET US LEAVE!"

Alcanthus snickered.

"Ah, Doctor, you are perfect for my plans. You are just what I need. You will become my willing servant and lead the others."

"I will never serve you."

"Oh, I think you will."

The Doctor grunted as he seized the sides of his face and forced him to look into his eyes.

"I will make sure you will." He said, as his eyes bored into the Doctor's

The Doctor narrowed his eyes in return.

"We shall see." He told him.

Alcanthus smirked. He let go of the Doctor's face and walked towards the door. Opening it, he stuck his head around the corner and gestured to someone. He stepped aside as two men entered the room.

"Take the girl and ready her for my harem." He told them. "What I wish to tell the Doctor next will be for his ears only."

"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor struggled with all his might as the servants moved over to Rose's table and began to unloose the restraints.

"ROSE! DAMN YOU, ALCANTHUS! I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER IF SHE'S HARMED!" The Doctor screamed.

He knew from the look in Alcanthus's eyes that he was proving his dark side theories correct with his outburst. But at the moment, he didn't care. Rose was being taken from his side, and he couldn't let that happen. As he arched his back trying to break the restraints, he saw Alcanthus pull a syringe filled with liquid out of his robes and walk towards him.

"Doctor!"

"ROSE! DON'T WORRY! I'LL GET YOU BACK! I SWEAR!" The Doctor screamed as he saw the servants take Rose off the table and put her arms around their neck.

"I…love…you…Doctor." She said to him.

"Rose."

He felt tears forming in his eyes as he watched the servants half walking/half pulling her towards the door. He was so absorbed in watching her being led away from him that he didn't realize at first that Alcanthus had stuck the syringe in his arm. By the time he realized what had happened to him, it was too late.

"Rose." The Doctor whispered as he felt himself plunge into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was strapped to another table in a different, darker room; but this time instead of leather, the restraints were made of steel. He paused for a moment and realized that the effects of the drug had completely worn off. He guessed that was the reason for the stronger restraints but just to make sure, he gave a couple of experimental jerks with his wrists and let out a frustrated sigh as he lay his head back on the table.

"Damn you. Damn you for doing this to Rose and me. I swear if I get free, you are de…"

He stopped himself and shook his head.

"No." He said to himself. "Calm down, stay in control. Don't become angry. It's what he wants you to do. Keep calm. Don't let him have what he wants."

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

"Must think logically." He muttered to himself between breaths. "Mustn't let my emotions control me. Must stay calm. Rose is depending on me now."

He felt himself calming and he opened his eyes. As he stared at the ceiling, he considered Alcanthus's words. He knew about the theory of the strain of regeneration having an effect on a Time Lord's mental stability. He had seen it himself. The Master. His old mentor Borusa. Both had been good men who had succumbed to madness by their last life. He always swore he would never follow in their footsteps, but he knew that insanity was starting to creep up on him. He knew that he did a lot of things now that he would never have considered in his younger days. That he used to be more merciful towards his enemies and regretful if he found there was no choice but to kill them. That was no longer the case now and it scared him that he now had it in him to just take another life and not even bat an eye. He wondered for a moment if he really would lose control one day and harm Rose or even kill…

He shook his head willing the thought away.

"No." he muttered to himself. "I love Rose with all my hearts. I may be capable of a lot of things now but harming her is not one of them. She is my life."

Still, there was that little seed of doubt in the back of his mind and he wondered if it might be better if he did send Rose away like he tried to do when they were on the Gamestation. Another part of him knew that if he tried to live without her now, he would become even worse than he was. Rose was one of the only things keeping the darkness within him in check. Without even realizing it, he had placed Rose in a precarious position. He was damning her to a life of nightmares and monsters if she stayed with him and damning himself to insanity if he let her go. He hated himself for letting her aboard the TARDIS and getting her stuck with him. The life she had with him now was not what a beautiful, loving, angel like her deserved.

He glared as the door opened and Alcanthus walked in.

"Excellent. You are awake." He said, smiling.

"What have you done to Rose?" the Doctor asked, dreading the answer.

Alcanthus smirked.

"She is drugged and asleep. Resting comfortably in my bed waiting for me…after I've finished here with you, of course." He said smugly.

The Doctor felt the rage rising within him and fought with all his might to control himself.

The struggle to control himself was not lost on Alcanthus.

"Why fight it, Doctor? You know as well as I that the darkness is going to win." He said. "It is predestined that it will win."

"That will never happen!" The Doctor said forcefully.

He smirked as the Doctor fought to keep calm.

"We shall see, Doctor. In time, you will embrace your darkness willingly. After I help it along, of course."

He pulled up a chair and sat down beside the Doctor.

"First off, my dear Doctor, I wish to ask you a question."

The Doctor glared at him silently. Alcanthus shrugged.

"I will take that to mean you are okay with that." He said.

He leaned forward and smiled.

"Tell me, Doctor. Do you know of the Earth's Christian Bible?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"Have you ever read it?"

"Yes. I'm not a Christian, but I have studied it out of curiosity." He replied.

Alcanthus beamed.

"As have I. I love reading writings from other worlds. It's fascinating. You do that as well?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Then, getting back to the Bible. Let me ask you this. Have you ever read the section entitled Revelations?"

"Yes, I have."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"Then you are aware of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Then you will fully understand what I'm about to say to you." Alcanthus said.

He gestured to the restraints.

"I have brought you in here and put you in stronger restraints because I want you fully conscious and aware of everything." He said. "It's important that you know what your destiny will be now."

"I'm listening."

"Excellent." He replied, smiling.

He folded his hands in his lap.

"My dear Doctor, since you are aware of the passages about the Four Horsemen, I will not have to waste time explaining things to you. You are aware that the Horsemen which are predicted to devastate the Earth are named Famine, Plague, War and Death, yes?"

The Doctor nodded.

"And that they will bring their namesakes upon the Earth at the time of the apocalypse, yes."

"Yeah, what has this got to do with me and Rose?"

"Rose? Nothing. She is just a delightful extra in all this. It's you I've been wanting." He said.

"Okay, what has this got to do with me, then?" the Doctor replied.

Alcanthus smiled.

"You my dear Doctor, are going to be one of my own personal horsemen and with the three others that I have in my possession you will bring apocalypse upon worlds so that I may control the universe."

"P'eh, you're more insane than I can ever hope to be if you think that'll happen."

"Oh, it will happen. You see, I have a special drug that was designed for me by some of the most brilliant minds in the galaxy. A drug that is designed to repress all of your inner goodness and bring that delicious insane darkness to the fore."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"And you seriously think this drug will work on me?" he said.

"Oh, I know it will because I have another plan in store to help the drug take effect and keep its hold on you permanently."

"Really? What is this other plan?" the Doctor said sarcastically. "I'm just dying to know!"

Alcanthus chuckled.

"You'll find out in time, Doctor. I don't want to spoil the surprise, you know."

"Gee, I can't wait."

"So gutsy with your flippant little tongue. You are showing yourself to be every inch the horseman I envisioned you would be."

"Oh, really, and which horsemen will I be?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh, the greatest and most terrifying one. You will be my Oncoming Storm. The horsemen named Death."

The Doctor pushed back the fear rising within him as he stared at the gleam in Alcanthus's eyes.

"Yes, Doctor. You will lead my other horsemen into battle and destroy all those who will not submit. With your help, I will bend worlds to my will and then I will be lord over all!"

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Alcanthus paused as the question caught him off guard. He smiled.

"A question? Why of course, my horseman. You can ask me whatever you like."

"Great."

The Doctor paused.

"Could you lean forward though?"

Alcanthus paused for a moment and then stood up and leaned in slightly.

"Closer."

Alcanthus leaned in closer.

"Closer."

He leaned over until he was inches from the Doctor's face.

The Doctor looked him square in the eyes and said…

"D'ya eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid?"

Alcanthus stared at him for a moment and then let out a roar of laughter.

"Oh yes, Doctor. You are truly one of a kind. You will make an excellent horseman."

He laid his hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"As much as I want to continue this conversation, I have to prepare for your conversion."

He paused and smiled.

"And I believe I have a new companion waiting for me to pleasure her as well."

He grinned as the Doctor could hold back his rage no more and yelled at him.

"That's it, my horseman. Let the darkness loose within you. Soon it will be harnessed and then the Oncoming Storm will be unleashed upon the universe!"

With an evil laugh, he turned and exited the room as the Doctor's screams of rage echoed in his ears.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Alcanthus smiled to himself as he walked down the hall to his laboratory. The Doctor was almost his, just a few more things to do and then his spirit would be broken enough for him to begin molding his mind. He entered the lab and watched as everyone prostrated themselves before him. He grinned knowing that soon the entire universe would be doing the same thing.

As everyone rose and resumed their work, Ocelus walked over to him.

"Master." He said, "The force grown clone is complete."

"Excellent. Let me see her."

"Yes, master."

He led Alcanthus over to a glass prison built into the back wall. Alcanthus used force grown clones frequently as a cheap source of labor. He had the enclosure built to prevent the clones from wandering around until they could be brainwashed to do his bidding. And now it held one very special clone. Alcanthus gestured to Ocelus and he hit a button on the wall. He watched as a steel blast shield slid back and he peered inside. There huddled against the back wall was a clone of Rose Tyler.

Alcanthus smiled as he noticed the clone was wearing the clothes that the real Rose had been wearing.

"Excellent." He said.

He gestured to a door off to the side.

"Open the door. I wish to see if Rose's brain imprint was downloaded correctly into the clone's mind."

"Yes, master."

Ocelus opened the door and stepped aside as Alcanthus entered the room. The clone stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Hello, my dear." He said to her.

"Where am I? Where is the Doctor?" the clone asked.

Alcanthus smiled.

"The Doctor is being held in another room." He said.

"I want to see him. I want to see him now!"

"Why?"

"I want to know if he is alright. I want to see him." The clone insisted.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, my dear."

The clone frowned.

"Why?"

"Because he does not wish to see you. He does not love you."

The clone shook her head.

"No, you are lying. The Doctor loves me with all his hearts." She said emphatically.

Alcanthus grinned.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

The clone nodded.

"He loves me. He loves only me." She insisted.

"And would you die for him?"

"In a heartbeat. And he would die for me."

She hesitated for a moment.

"Where is he? Please let me see him?" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, my dear. As I said, that is out of the question and now I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must take my leave of you. I have other matters to attend to. I bid you good night."

He turned and headed towards the door.

"The Doctor will stop you."

Alcanthus paused with his hand on the door handle. He turned his head and saw the clone staring at him defiantly. A grin spread over his face.

"You think so?" he asked her.

"I know so. The Doctor will stop at nothing until you're defeated and I am safe." The clone replied.

Alcanthus grinned. This was so much fun.

"I think you underestimate me, my dear." He said unable to resist a bit more interaction.

"No, I think you underestimate the Doctor. He and I have both faced people like you before. People who thought they could defeat us and they all failed."

She smirked at him.

"And so will you. It's only a matter of time until the Doctor outwits you and triumphs. Just you wait and see."

Alcanthus beamed. The imprint had taken perfectly. This clone acted and thought exactly like her counterpart.

"I admire your faith in your lover, my dear. But I'm afraid this time is different. This time I will be the one to triumph."

The clone smirked.

"Funny. That's what most of the others thought before we kicked their butts."

Alcanthus chuckled to himself.

"And on that note, I must bid you goodnight. Pleasant dreams, my dear."

He turned the door handle, stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

"Close the blast shield."

"Yes, master." Ocelus said, pushing the button.

As the blast shield slid back into place, he glanced nervously at his master.

"Are you pleased with the clone, master?" he asked.

Alcanthus nodded.

"I am. She is an exact duplicate of Rose in every way. She is perfect."

Ocelus breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, master." He said gratefully.

Alcanthus waved his hand.

"Go now and ready the IV in the Doctor's cell. We will put the next part of the plan into motion in the morning and I want to be sure the drugs are ready to put into his system. The shock he will receive tomorrow will leave his mind vulnerable and I want to take full advantage of that.

He smiled.

"In the meantime, I will comfort the real Rose. I'm sure she is lonely without her Doctor."

He paused as he noticed Ocelus had not moved.

"Well? I just gave you an order; why are you still here in front of me?" He demanded.

Ocelus gulped.

"Forgive me master, but I am afraid." He said timidly.

"Of what?"

"Of the Doctor."

Alcanthus smiled.

"Ah, then your fear is justified. But do not worry. He is being held with titanium restraints. It is one of the strongest metals in the universe and I doubt even the Doctor has the strength to break them. You are perfectly safe. All my horseman can do is shout insults at you. Now go, or I will give you something to be scared about."

Ocelus gulped as he stared in Alcanthus's hard, cold eyes.

"Yes, master." he said.

He smiled to himself as he watched Ocelus hurry out the door.

"Sleep well tonight, Doctor. It will be your last night with a free mind." he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor jerked his head up as he heard the door open. He raised his eyebrows as Ocelus scurried in and shut the door behind him.

"Well, well, the spineless coward returns."

He watched as Ocelus hurried to a nearby counter and opened a drawer.

"Oh? Am I getting my blood drawn now? Or are you gonna drug me some more?" he said sarcastically.

"Please leave me alone." he heard Ocelus say.

"Why? You afraid I'm gonna break out of these restraints and make good on my promise to ring your scrawny neck?" The Doctor taunted.

He snorted as he saw Ocelus pick up an IV bag filled with a purple liquid.

"Ah, so it is more drugs for me then, I see." he said.

He grinned as he noticed Ocelus hesitate in coming closer to him.

"Well, come on, you coward, get over here and put that IV in my arm."

He smirked.

"If you can." he added menacingly.

"Please, don't hurt me." Ocelus said meekly.

"Why shouldn't I hurt you? You've helped Alcanthus kidnap us and now because of you and your cowardice, my Rose is probably lying in his bed alone and crying after being raped repeatedly and I'm strapped to a table about to be turned into some twisted version of a Biblical prophecy. So give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear your pathetic carcass limb from limb."

"Please, you must understand. I am as much a prisoner as you are. If I resist, my master will kill me."

"So you are perfectly willing to help tear apart the lives of two people in order to save your own skin?"

"I...I'm afraid of what the master will do to me. I'm afraid of dying."

"Yeah? Well, I'm afraid of being used to kill people by an insane megalomaniac Hell bent on taking over the universe."

"There is nothing I can do."

"There is plenty you can do starting with letting me go." The Doctor replied.

"You'll kill me if I do that."

The Doctor sighed.

"Not if you help me rescue Rose and get my TARDIS back." he said.

Ocelus hesitated.

"Ocelus, help me. You are not like your master, I can tell. Set me free and I will take you with us when we leave. Think about what you are doing, Ocelus. You are about to destroy the lives of two innocent people, not to mention the three other horsemen Alcanthus says he has. One act of cowardice and five people suffer. Is that worth the price of blind obedience to your master?"

He saw in Ocelus's eyes that he was beginning to get through to him and hope swelled in his hearts.

"Ocelus, please." he pleaded. "If you won't do it for me, do it for Rose. She's 20. A young girl with her whole life ahead of her. She deserves better than being a madman's plaything for the rest of her life. You've seen her. Does she deserved to be raped and abused and tormented until she dies or Alcanthus gets tired of her and kills her? Is that what you want to see happen?"

Ocelus stared at the pleading look in the Doctor's eyes. He wanted to help him. He was right. Rose shouldn't have to suffer because of his cowardice. Neither should the Doctor or the other horsemen. But on the other hand, he had seen what Alcanthus had done to people who opposed him. He had seen them linger for days screaming in agony as his master gloated. With the images of those tortured men in his mind, Ocelus couldn't bring himself to help the Doctor.

"I...I can't. I'm sorry." he said softly.

He gulped as the Doctor's face hardened.

"Then you have made an enemy of me." he said as his eyes bored into him. "And when I escape, and rest assured I will, I will show you no quarter just as I will show your master none. You have chosen you fate, Ocelus. Live with the knowledge that from here on out, your days are numbered. I do have a dark side, Ocelus. It has not overtaken me completely, but it is there and I use it to punish those who dare to cross me and harm the ones I love."

Ocelus gulped and trembled as he watched the Doctor's eyes darken until they were almost coal black.

"And hear me now, Ocelus, and hear me good. When I escape and rescue Rose...If I find she has been raped or abused or tortured in any way. If her mind has been damaged beyond repair; then Heaven help you and your master, Ocelus, because no one else will be able to. So if I were you, I would make damn sure she is unharmed and stays that way because I am the Oncoming Storm and I can very easily make your life and death a living Hell."

"Doctor..." Ocelus said, cringing. "I'm sorry. I..."

"I'm sorry too." The Doctor said. "I'm sorry that I must prove your master right about my dark side. If it were just me, I would be more lenient; but I care about Rose more than anything in this universe and I made a promise to her mother to protect her and that's what I will do. She trusts me completely with her life and I will never betray her trust. I will fight tooth and nail to protect her and I will use every weapon at my disposal to do so including the darkness inside me. So go ahead...stick a needle in my vein and drug me; torture and torment me; brainwash me until I'm a mindless slave. I have had it all done to me before and have always managed to fight back and triumph over my captors and this time will be no different despite what your master thinks. I am the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, and your master messed with the wrong man when he captured me.

He smirked.

"And since you are such a good little slave, then obey this command. Go back and tell your master what I have said. Warn him what will happen if he dares defile Rose, and make him aware of his impending doom. If the man wants to see my dark side in all its glory, I will gladly oblige him. So go now, go sniveling back to your master and give him my message."

Ocelus stood frozen in terror as he stared at the Doctor's defiant gaze.

"NOW!" the Doctor screamed.

Dropping the IV bag on the counter, Ocelus fled from the room as he heard the Doctor laughing at him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Rose opened her eyes slowly and groaned. The last thing she remembered was being dragged away from the Doctor and someone sticking a needle in her arm. And now, looking around, she saw she was bound tightly around her waist, legs and ankles with leather straps and lying on a bed in the middle of an elegantly furnished bedroom. It didn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to guess whose bedroom it was.

Rose felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. What had been done to her while she was out? Half dreading what she would find, she jerked her head up terrified that she had been raped already. She glanced down and noticed she was covered, if you could call it that. The nightgown she was wearing was so sheer it left nothing to the imagination. She laid back and taking a deep breath moved her body as she tried to wiggle out of the ropes. She sighed. It didn't work. She closed her eyes.

"Bollocks." She muttered. "I have to get free. I have to get back to the Doctor."

Her heart ached as she thought of him. What were they doing to him now? What she had overheard Alcanthus saying to him chilled her to the bone. Was he really going to become evil by the end of his lives? Her Doctor who fought evil day in and day out becoming evil himself was unthinkable. He hadn't told her very much about Gallifrey or the Time Lords, so she hadn't heard this theory before, but she took heart that the Doctor had said not all the Time Lords had gone insane. She prayed that he would be one of the exceptions. She couldn't bear to think of him ending his final days as a homicidal maniac.

Chasing those thoughts away, Rose looked around as she tried to think of a way to get free.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus paused and leaned against the hallway breathing heavily as he finally began to calm down. He knew it now. His master had made a grave mistake capturing the Doctor and bringing him here. The Doctor was just as powerful as his master was, if not more so. Even if he did succeed in bringing the Time Lord under his control, he would never be able to keep it up. He knew the drug he was going to use to enslave him wasn't all that powerful to begin with. The scientists had barely had time to test it before his master had grown impatient and told them it was ready. As a result, the drug had to be administered by IV every 24 hours or the effects would wear off. If the master forgot to give the Doctor the drug, he would return to normal and then…

Ocelus gulped as he thought of the Doctor's dark eyes filled with anger and hate. He knew he had to try to convince his master to abandon this plan. He knew what he was going to do in the morning with the Doctor and this Rose clone and he knew it would make the Doctor even angrier than he was now. His master had designed it that way. To make the Doctor lose control so much that the drug would have no trouble bringing the dark side out. But if the drug wore off then there would be no stopping the Doctor and he would come after everyone with a vengeance.

He gulped remembering the Doctor's threat to punish him along with all the others. This madness had to stop now. They had to get him and his female and their ship off the planet and away from them before they all ended up dead. Pushing the fear of his master aside, he hurried down the hallway towards his room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Enter."

Alcanthus looked up as Ocelus hurried into the room.

"Master."

Alcanthus narrowed his eyes.

"You did not bow before me, Ocelus." He said. "I always require my slaves to bow…"

"Master, listen to me."

He knew he was making the master angrier by interrupting him, but at the moment he didn't care. Self-preservation was the only thing he could think of right now.

"This had better be important, Ocelus. I do not appreciate my slaves rushing in my chambers without giving me the proper respect and I DO NOT tolerate them interrupting me!" Alcanthus said angrily.

"Forgive me, master. I meant no disrespect, but I think you are making a huge mistake trying to enslave the Doctor. He's dangerous."

Alcanthus's eyes blazed with anger.

"Think? Think! I do not require you to think, slave! I require you to act and carry out my bidding! And how dare you question my judgment? I know the Doctor is dangerous, you fool, that's why I want him!"

"But the drug hasn't been perfected yet, master. What if you miss one of his treatments and he…"

Ocelus grunted as Alcanthus bolted from his seat and backhanded him across the face. As his back slammed into the floor, Alcanthus grabbed him by his shirt and hoisted him back up to his snarling face.

"How dare you! Are you saying that I'm stupid as well?"

Ocelus hesitated.

"ARE YOU?" Alcanthus bellowed, shaking him.

Ocelus shook his head and gulped. His master's eyes were as dark as the Doctor's.

"N…n…no, master." He stammered.

Alcanthus's eyes blazed with rage as he stared down at his terrified slave.

"The Doctor will not escape his fate." He snarled. "I know that the drug must be administered every 24 hours. That is why he will be set up on a schedule. Each night he will be sedated and the drug will be given to him, just like all the others! I have not failed to keep the others drugged, HAVE I?"

Ocelus shook his head, terrified.

"Then it will be no different with the Doctor. I am aware of how dangerous the Doctor is; that is why he will be my Death! He is one of the most powerful beings in the universe."

"But…"

Ocelus gulped as Alcanthus's eyes widened in shock.

"You are still interrupting me?" he said angrily.

"Master, the plan you have to break the Doctor's will, its sheer madness! You can't do that to him…or to her. They've never done anything to you."

An evil smile spread over Alcanthus's face.

"I know they haven't. That's beside the point. The point is I wish to conquer the universe and I need the Time Lord and his time machine to do it. Whether or not the Doctor has ever done anything to me is irrelevant."

"But at least let the female go. She has nothing to do with this."

Alcanthus stared down at him. He narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, without warning, Alcanthus picked him up, slammed him against the wall and punched him in the face.

"WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY QUESTIONING THINGS THAT ARE NONE OF YOUR CONCERN? YOU EXIST TO DO MY BIDDING, NOT TO QUESTION MY EVERY MOVE! NOW GO AND OBEY MY COMMANDS AND LET ME HANDLE THE DOCTOR AND HIS PET. THEY ARE MY PROBLEM, NOT YOURS! AND THE NEXT TIME YOU QUESTION ME, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF COOKED ALIVE! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"Ocelus nodded. He grunted as Alcanthus threw him to the floor.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT NOW BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT KILLING YOU!" he screamed at him.

Ignoring the blood dripping from his nose, Ocelus scrambled to his feet and hurried out the door slamming it behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus gasped as he paused and leaned against the wall of the hallway. He brought his hand up and tried to wipe the blood off his face as it dripped from his nose.

"There, Doctor," He muttered bitterly to himself. "I tried to warn my master for you."

He shook his head. Either way he was doomed. If his master didn't kill him, the Doctor would. He shook his head as he walked slowly down the hallway. As he passed by his master's room, he paused and stared at the closed door. He hesitated a moment and then shrugged. What did it matter if he went inside and made his master even angrier? He would probably be dead soon anyway. Besides, he did want to check on Rose and see if she was okay. He turned the door handle and peeked inside. He watched for a moment as she grunted and strained trying to break the bonds that held her before going inside.

Rose froze and stared at Ocelus.

"You…you're one of the ones that were in that room with me and the Doctor, aren't you?" she asked.

Ocelus nodded.

"Where is he? What have you done to him?"

She stared at him as Ocelus came nearer. She smirked as she saw his bloody nose.

"The Doctor get a hold of ya, did he?" she said smugly.

"No, my master did that to me after I tried to convince him to let you both go." Ocelus replied angrily.

"Oh." Rose said, her face softening.

"Yes, this is what my master does to people who dare talk back to him." Ocelus said, pointing to his nose. "Your Doctor wants me to help both of you escape and when I told him I couldn't; that I was too afraid, he threatened to kill me along with my master."

Rose sighed.

"Jesus Christ, Doctor. Honestly…" She muttered to herself.

She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry for his behavior. He…has a tendency to lose his temper."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"Look, he's just worried about me and when he worries like this, he thinks before he acts. Believe me, I've seen it before."

He gave him a pleading look.

"Please, take me to him. Let me see him."

Ocelus widened his eyes in terror.

"Look, I know Alcanthus will punish you if you let me see the Doctor, but I'm the only one who can calm him down. He's terrified something has happened to me and that's causing him to act irrationally. Please, let me go to him. I won't try to escape, I promise."

Ocelus considered it. He looked back at the door and looked at Rose.

"Please, we'll be quick, I promise." She said.

Ocelus hesitated.

"But making him angry is what my master wants. He wants to bring out his dark side."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as anguish gripped her heart. She was terrified of what they were doing and would do to him.

"Please just let me see him once. I promise I won't try to free him or escape."

She bit her lip hating herself for saying what she had just said, but the need to see the Doctor and hold him in her arms outweighed the need for escape at the moment. Besides, she wasn't sure where she was, where the TARDIS was or how many people were in this place. She had just woken up and she needed to formulate a plan if the Doctor hadn't thought of one. She needed time to think and get her thoughts together, although she was aware that time was in very short supply now.

Ocelus sighed.

"You promise to be quick?"

Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"I swear. All I want to do is let him know I'm okay and calm him down." She said.

Ocelus shook his head.

"I'm going to regret this, I know." He muttered as he bent over and loosened the restraints around her waist and legs.

He helped Rose sit up. Rose looked around as he took the restraints off from around her ankles.

"Where's my clothes at?" he heard her murmured.

He opened his mouth to speak and then heard her mutter. "Never mind, I'll just have to explain my nightgown to the Doctor."

Ocelus shrugged and shut his mouth.

He stood and helped her up. He held her around the waist until she got her bearings and then they both hurried out of the room and down the hall towards the Doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor jerked his head up and snorted as Ocelus entered.

"Well? Did you deliver my message?" he said.

He smirked as he noticed his bloody nose.

"Apparently you did. I…"

"Doctor! That's enough."

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as Rose came into the room. Tears sprang to his eyes as he struggled to get free.

"Rose! Oh Rassilon, are you alright?" he said as Rose ran to him.

"I'm alright, Doctor." She said, as she threw her arms around his neck.

Ocelus stood and watched as the Doctor and Rose rained kisses on each other's faces and lips. His mind filled with jealousy knowing that the love they were showing each other was something that had been denied him his whole life. As he watched them holding each other, he knew that he couldn't let the master carry out his plan. He had to get them back to their spaceship before it was too late.

"Oh God, Doctor." Rose said, as she stroked the back of his hair. "What have they done to you?"

The Doctor shook his head.

"Nothing yet. They've just had me strapped down to this table far away from you which is torture enough as far as I'm concerned."

He kissed her lips.

"What about you?" he asked worriedly. "Are you alright? Please tell me he didn't rape you, Rose. Oh Rassilon, please, please tell me."

Rose bit her lip. She kissed his forehead.

"I…don't know. They drugged me after I left that room and I just woke up awhile ago bound and on Alcanthus's bed."

"Oh Rassilon…"

Rose sobbed as she lowered her face and kissed the tears from his cheeks.

"He…My master has not been into his bedroom yet." Ocelus said, stepping forward. "He's been too busy to do anything with Rose."

"WELL, YOU'RE PRETTY DAMN LUCKY HE HASN'T!" he roared at him.

"No…Doctor, please. Shhhhh…" Rose soothed.

Ocelus stared in utter shock as the Doctor looked at Rose and immediately all the rage left him. He stared at the loving look in the Doctor's eyes as he watched Rose and couldn't believe what he was seeing. One of the most powerful Time Lords that ever lived and he could be calmed and quieted by a mere woman? He watched Rose stroke his face and whisper loving words to him and the Doctor stare back with a quiet smile as tame as a kitten. It boggled his mind.

He glanced back nervously at the door. His master could come through it any moment. He hated to interrupt the tender scene in front of him, but he knew if he didn't; they all could die.

"Rose." He said, "We must go back now."

He jumped as the fire was back in the Doctor's eyes in a split second.

"SHE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" he bellowed.

"Doctor, no. Please, I promised him I would…"

She trailed off as the Doctor stared at her in astonishment.

"No, you didn't agree to go back to that monster's bedroom if he led you here." He said in disbelief. "You can't be serious, Rose! He'll rape you! Why would you agree to something so insane?"

Rose bit her lip and nodded as she stroked his face.

"Because I love you and I wanted to see you and it was the only way." She said.

"Rose…Rose, think about what you're doing. This might be our only chance to escape."

"But we don't know what's out there, Doctor. We don't know where the TARDIS is."

"So? That's never stopped us before. Rassilon, Rose, I would rather run around this place completely clueless with you at my side than have you back in that maniac's bedroom being raped while you try to figure out a plan."

He looked into her eyes pleading with her to reconsider.

"Rose, don't go." He said. "If you do, we might never see one another again. Whatever this monster is going to do, he's going to do it soon. He's about to turn me into a mindless killing machine, and have me invade worlds. We have to leave now! Free me, Rose. We can get out of here. We've always managed to escape. Just please trust me. I won't let anything happen to you. Please."

Rose looked over at Ocelus.

"Rose, ignore him. Just free me. I'll protect you from whatever's out there." The Doctor pleaded.

"I'm sorry but I can't go back." She said to Ocelus.

"But my master might be here any minute."

"Sod your master, Ocelus!" The Doctor said angrily. "You apparently have enough of a spine to defy him and lead Rose here. Defy him some more and free me. Let Rose and I go back to the TARDIS."

He sighed as Ocelus stared at him with wide eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I was upset and worried about Rose and I said some things I shouldn't have. You obviously have some qualms about Alcanthus doing this to us or you wouldn't have brought Rose in here. Please, help us and I'll take you with us on the TARDIS. You can start over on a new planet far away from your master."

"Please, Ocelus, help us." Rose said, looking at him. "We can help you if you'll let us."

He looked at them as they both pleaded with their eyes for him to help. As he stared at the Doctor, he felt courage growing within him. If anyone could get him away from his master, it was him. He nodded.

"Oh thank Rassilon." The Doctor muttered as Rose hugged him tight.

"We must be quick. I'll have to try to pick this lock; and quickly. My master might be coming." Ocelus said as he went to the table and looked at the first restraint.

"Wrong. You're master isn't coming. He's already here!"

Everyone jerked their heads up as Alcanthus appeared in the doorway and stared at them.

"Master." Ocelus said, with horror.

"Hello, traitor, freeing my horseman, were you?" he said, staring at him.

He looked at Rose.

"And you brought the female to him as well. My, my, Ocelus, you have been naughty today, haven't you?"

Ocelus gulped. He was past the point of no return now. No matter what he did it would mean his death. So, he straightened his back and stared at his master definitely.

"Release them, Alcanthus." He said, daring to use his master's name for the first time in his life. "They do not belong to you and neither do the other horseman. Release all of them at once!"

"Wow." The Doctor said to Rose. "I guess the whole get a spine pep talk worked!"

Alcanthus stared at his slave, a mixture of shock and anger on his face.

"You have just sealed your doom, slave." He said.

"I sealed my doom the moment I released Rose and brought her in here." Ocelus shot back. "I sealed my doom long ago when I made the decision to let you dominate me and be your slave. I am tired of being told what to do and being abused. These two have offered to take me somewhere where you can't hurt me anymore."

"Did they now?" Alcanthus said with a smirk. "And how were you planning to escape with them, Ocelus. This compound is filled with my men."

Ocelus smirked back.

"That won't matter to the Doctor. I have confidence in him. You must know he could break through your defenses as well or he wouldn't have the titanium restraints on him. You're just as afraid of him as I am."

He stepped to the end of the table.

"Let them go, Alcanthus. The Doctor's right. He will escape and he will kill you. Now's your chance to escape that fate."

Alcanthus folded his arms over his chest.

"The key to the restraints are in my robes, slave. Come and get them if you dare." He taunted.

Ocelus tensed his muscles. If he was going to die, he was going to do it trying to help his new friends. He gritted his teeth as he saw Alcanthus ready himself for him. With a yell, he ran towards him. Alcanthus grinned as he held his arms out to catch him.

The grin fell off his face as Rose Tyler ran into him first. He let out a gasp as he was knocked off guard and both Ocelus and Rose yelled out their rage as they fell to the floor with him, hitting and clawing at him.

"Yes! Go! Pummel the crap outta him!" The Doctor yelled from the table as both Rose and Ocelus hit him furiously. "Oh yes, that's my girl! Claw him in the privates, give him Hell!"

He raised his eyebrows as Rose glanced at him.

"Hey, I can't help you so I might as well manage the whole thing. Now stop looking at me, and stick your finger in his eye."

Rose rolled her eyes as he grinned. The grin fell off his face as she turned her head and got hit in the face by Alcanthus.

"Sorry, Rose, I'll keep my gob shut from here on in." The Doctor said sheepishly.

His eyes widened as Rose let out a yell of rage and pounced back on him.

"Wow, "the Doctor said proudly. "Rose has become quite a little spitfire. It's nice to know she absorbed all my teachings."

He looked over at Ocelus and grinned as he managed to punch Alcanthus in the groin.

"Alright, Ocelus, way to go!" the Doctor said, overjoyed.

He laughed as Alcanthus struggled to overpower them.

"What's wrong, Alcanthus? Having a little trouble quelling the slave revolt there?" he said, delighted. "I would come be your loyal horsemen and help ya, but I'm kinda tied down to this table. Oh wait; I'm not your loyal horseman yet. Ah well, sucks to be you then, I guess."

The Doctor's eyes widened as Rose bit Alcanthus's nose.

"Oh wow, I definitely did not teach her that." He muttered.

He grinned as she head butted him.

"Okay, that I did teach her." He added.

The Doctor watched Rose and Ocelus as they fought like lions to overpower Alcanthus. He was so absorbed in the fight that he didn't see the shadows on the wall outside the door. It wasn't until the door opened and more of Alcanthus's slaves entered that the Doctor had time to shout a warning and by then it was too late.

The Doctor stared in horror as two of Alcanthus's men struck Rose and Ocelus on the head with heavy clubs knocking them out.

As two men pulled Ocelus and Rose off of him, two more helped Alcanthus to his feet. He wiped the sweat and blood from his face as he stared at them. He smiled as he stared at Rose. He suddenly had an idea. Thanks to this little revolt, he had a way to work what had happened into his plan and he now had a good reason for what he had wanted to do.

He looked over at the Doctor as he stared at him, enraged.

"Sorry, Doctor, the better man won." He said.

"Yeah, by cheating."

Alcanthus shrugged.

"Just like you, I win any way I can, Doctor." He said.

He pointed at Ocelus and Rose.

"And now take a last look at both of them because they will both die in the morning for this."

"No! Execute me. Let them go." The Doctor said. "I take the blame for everything."

"How noble of you, Doctor, but I'm afraid that's out of the question. You are too valuable to me. While these two… "he said, glancing down at the unconscious bodies in his slave's arms." are expendable."

He grinned.

"Besides, I have to use them as an example. Wouldn't want my other slaves to get ideas, would I?"

He smirked at the Doctor's anguished look.

"So take a good look, Doctor. Tomorrow they'll be dead."

He paused and grinned.

"After I make them suffer, of course."

He gestured to a slave and the Doctor turned his head just in time to see the slave bring the club down on his head, knocking him out.

"Take them away and tie them up." He said gesturing to the slaves holding Ocelus and Rose. "Tomorrow they will learn what happens to slaves who decide to defy me."

As the slaves dragged them away, Acanthus took one last look at the unconscious Doctor and with a chuckle he followed his slaves out and shut the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The Doctor groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked around and saw he was in a large dark, damp room. His hearts caught in his throat as he saw several chains and manacles hanging from the wall and spread across the floor. A few torture implements were on a rack nearby. Panicked, the Doctor looked around for Rose and Ocelus and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he was all alone.

As he turned his head, he felt something rub against his throat. He frowned. Whatever it was that was rubbing on his throat was tight. He looked down and noticed he was strapped into a chair with the titanium restraints. He couldn't see what was around his throat but his eyebrows rose as he noticed he was now wearing a one piece, black, leather body suit that covered everything except his hands. He stared at the body suit.

"Okay…So now I'm sitting in a torture room strapped into a chair and wearing a tight, leather cat suit" he muttered.

He looked to his left and noticed a huge floor to ceiling mirror set into the wall. He stared at himself in the mirror and noticed that the thing around his throat was some kind of silver metal collar with what looked like a small speaker attached to the front of it.

"Okay…and I'm wearing a metal dog collar thingy too. So either this is standard horseman apparel or Alcanthus has a really kinky side to him and I hope to Rassilon it's the first one." He muttered.

He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I guess this is it. My conversion." He muttered to himself.

He closed his eyes.

"Gotta keep myself under control. I can't let my dark side take over. I can't let Alcanthus use me to hurt innocent people." He murmured.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself hoping he would be able to stay that way. Although with Rose and Ocelus in danger, he wasn't so sure that would happen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose groaned as she finally woke up. She looked around and saw that Ocelus was sitting beside her in a small dark room. She looked straight ahead and saw an enormous window that served as the fourth wall in their prison. Her eyes widened as she looked out it and saw the Doctor strapped into a chair nearby, his eyes closed.

"Doctor!" she said, sitting up.

"He can't hear you. This glass is soundproof and it's one way. From his side all the Doctor can see is a mirror." Ocelus said to her. "Mast…"

He shook his head.

"Alcanthus," He corrected himself. "uses this room whenever he's torturing and executing multiple people. The ones who are waiting their turn are put in here to see what's in store for them."

"But the soundproof glass and the mirror…"

"Alcanthus doesn't like to be distracted when he's torturing and killing people." Ocelus said, gravely.

Rose gulped. She crawled to the glass and stared longingly at the Doctor as he sat quietly with his eyes closed. She stared at him willing him to see her but he remained still. She looked over in front of him and her eyes widened as she saw the chains and the torture implements.

"Are…those for us?" she said, looking at Ocelus.

He nodded.

"Yes, most likely." He said. 

He sighed.

"We're awake so it should be any moment now."

Rose turned her face back to the glass and stared at the Doctor. He looked so calm and peaceful as she watched his chest rising and falling. She wondered if he was asleep or meditating. She frowned as she stared at the body suit and the collar and looked back at Ocelus."

"What have they got on him?" she asked, pointing.

"It's what he's going to be wearing as a horseman. The other three horsemen have the same thing on them except they're wearing red, white and yellow bodysuits. Eventually he'll be wearing a mask over his face that will cover everything except the area around his eyes. The colors will be Alcanthus's way of telling them apart."

"And the…metal thing."

"It's a communicator. Once the Doctor is brainwashed and ready to be used, Alcanthus will use it to communicate with him and give him orders. There's a tiny button on the side that the Doctor can push and respond back if he needs to, although it will be used very rarely since Alcanthus doesn't like people talking back to him unless absolutely necessary. Mostly it's so the Doctor can say the yes, master, I hear and I obey line back to him and he can get a smug feeling knowing he's under his control."

Rose sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Is there any hope for him, Ocelus?" she asked as she opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor.

Ocelus stared at the Doctor.

"I don't know. Normally, I would say no but…the Doctor is not like anyone I've ever met before. He's very powerful from what I've seen, and if anyone can break Alcanthus's mind control, I'm betting it's him."

Rose put her hand on the glass as tears came to her eyes.

"Oh, Doctor, fight him. Fight what he's going to do to you. If I die, don't give up. Don't let him take control of your mind. Fight for me, please."

Ocelus gulped as he stared at the anguish in her eyes. He reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. This is all my fault." He said sadly.

Rose looked back at him and shook her head.

"No, this is not your fault, Ocelus."

"Yes, it is. I'm the one who followed Alcanthus's orders and operated the tractor beam that pulled you in. If I had been less of a coward and defied him, you wouldn't be in this mess."

Rose put her hand on his shoulder.

"Ocelus, you had no choice. Until the Doctor came along there was no reason for you not to follow orders. Please don't blame yourself. It isn't the first time this has happened to me and the Doctor, okay?"

Ocelus stared at her.

"This has happened to you before and yet you still choose to travel with the Doctor."

Rose smiled.

"I love him, Ocelus. I would blindly follow him to Hell and back if he asked me."

Ocelus stared at her in wonder.

"He must be quite a man." He said.

"Yes, he is." Rose said, nodding.

She looked up and saw Ocelus looking past her. She turned her head and saw a door opening in the next room. She glanced at the Doctor and saw him open his eyes as Alcanthus and two slaves entered.

"This is it, Rose."

Rose swallowed hard as she tried to gather up her courage for what lay ahead.

"Be brave, Rose." She whispered to herself. "For yourself and for the Doctor."

Her eyes widened as she saw…herself entering the room. She blinked as she watched two more slaves bringing in someone that looked exactly like her….and wearing her clothes.

"Oh no, no." she heard Ocelus say.

She looked back at him, confused.

"What's going on?" she asked him. "Who is that person? She looks exactly like me."

"That's because she is you, Rose. That blood sample I had to take from you; it was used to make a force grown clone of yourself. It's part of Alcanthus's plan to destroy the Doctor's mind so he can enslave it."

He gestured to the clone.

"And since you were wondering where your clothes got to…there's your answer." He said gravely.

Rose glanced over at the Doctor and saw him staring at the clone with fear in his eyes.

"Doctor!" she screamed, pounding on the glass. "I'm over here! It's a clone! Doctor!"

"It won't work, Rose. He can't hear you. He…."

He paused and his eyes widened as two more slaves brought in a clone of himself. His mouth dropped open and he glanced down at his arm and cursed as he saw a small bruise where they had drawn blood from his arm.

Rose looked at him.

"But…I thought we were in here so we could be executed." He said to him.

"Obviously he has other plans." Ocelus said. "You were supposed to be his concubine for the rest of your life. Maybe he changed his mind and figured you were better off in his bed than dead. As for me…I have no idea why he cloned me. Maybe he wants to torture me by letting me see the Doctor being tormented before I die. That's the only reason I can think of for letting me live."

He sighed.

"If I were you, I would pray for death, Rose. Because trust me. It won't be much of a life after Alcanthus gets done with us."

Rose swallowed hard and turned her eyes back to the Doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor watched anguished as the love of his life and his new friend were brought to the wall directly in front of him and chained by their wrists to it. As the slaves moved away, he gave an encouraging smile to Rose as she stared at him and fought to get free.

"Doctor." She said, frightened.

"It's all right, Rose. Be brave for me." He said trying to keep calm for her. "I'm here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The real Rose cursed. Thanks to a speaker mounted in the ceiling, she could hear everything.

"Come on, Doctor. See through this. Figure it out." She muttered as she watched.

She looked at her clone.

"Come on, mess up. Say or do something out of the ordinary so the Doctor will catch on."

She let out a frustrated sigh as she pressed up against the glass.

"Please, God, please let the Doctor catch on to this." she prayed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor glared at Alcanthus as he walked over to his side.

"Since I'm a man who believes in democracy…"

The Doctor let out a gigantic snort.

Alcanthus chuckled.

"Since I believe in democracy." He continued. "I believe I will let you pick who gets to die first. So who will it be Doctor? Your beloved or my slave?" 


	9. Chapter 9

PLEASE READ BEFORE GOING ON!!! This is a friendly warning because I don't want anyone to be surprised or complain from here on in. This whole story is about to turn very dark starting with this chapter. The Doctor is going to turn very dark and evil and basically become Barty Who Jr. until near the end of the story. This chapter contains torture and character death and other chapters will have deaths and violence in them. So if you don't like Evil! David or dark fics, I suggest you bail out now and find something else to read. If you do like that kind of thing, read on and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

And now…

Chapter Nine

The Doctor glared at him.

"Well, come on, Doctor. Make up your mind. Which will it be? Because if you won't choose, I will."

"You'll pay for this, Alcanthus. I swear if they die, I will avenge them."

Alcanthus yawned.

"That's very interesting, Doctor. But that doesn't answer my question."

He leaned over.

"Choose, Doctor or else."

The Doctor glanced over at Rose and Ocelus who were staring silently at him. He looked back at Alcanthus.

"I choose…me." He said.

"That's not an option."

"It is now. Set them free and I will let myself be executed willingly in their place. I am the one that encouraged them and egged on the fight so let me be the one to be punished."

Alcanthus sighed.

"I grow tired of this stupidity, Doctor. I asked you to choose between Rose and Ocelus and you refused, so I will make the choice for you."

He turned towards Rose.

"Come my dear, you will be first."

"NO!" the Doctor screamed.

Alcanthus looked at him.

"Ocelus, then?"

"No! Leave them alone. I swear if you harm them, I will ki…"

Alcanthus smirked as the Doctor stopped himself.

"What was that, Doctor?" he said gleefully. "What was it you were about to say?"

The Doctor glared at him as Alcanthus chuckled.

"Resist all you want, Doctor. The darkness within you is fighting to come out." He said. "And it will succeed."

"Never."

"Oh no? Well, let's just put that to the test, shall we?"

He gestured to two slaves and pointed at Ocelus.

"I will start with my slave first and get him out of the way." He said nonchalantly.

"No!" the Doctor murmured.

The slaves unlocked Ocelus's manacles and grabbed him by the arms. The Doctor watched, horrified, as they pulled him over to Alcanthus and made him kneel in front of him as they chained him to the floor.

"Now…" Alcanthus said, as the slaves stepped back. "We'll begin."

"Leave him alone, Alcanthus. Let him go."

"Why? What does he matter to you? He's just a slave." Alcanthus said, shrugging.

"He's my friend."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The real Ocelus's eyes widened in surprise.

"I…am?" he said to himself. "The Doctor thinks of me as his friend? I…I've never had a friend before."

"Well," Rose said as she smiled and squeezed his hand. "Now you got two."

Ocelus smiled and squeezed her hand back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alcanthus smirked.

"Your friend? Oh how cute, Doctor. A Time Lord befriending a lowly piece of trash. How kind of you." He sneered.

"Ocelus is far from a piece of trash. He's more of a man than you'll ever be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The real Rose smiled at Ocelus as he gasped and looked at her.

"Why is the Doctor saying this about me? He barely knows me." He asked her.

"Because he can see into a person's heart. He knows you're a good man, Ocelus and you're worth far more than the slave Alcanthus has made you think you are."

Ocelus smiled.

"Then the Doctor has both my friendship and my loyalty." He said.

Rose smiled.

"And now you can see why I stay with him through thick and thin." She said.

Ocelus nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alcanthus regarded the Doctor silently for a moment. He looked down at the clone that was staring up at the Doctor gratefully and shook his head.

"You show a lot of weakness for such a ruthless Time Lord." He finally said to him.

"I am neither ruthless nor weak." The Doctor replied.

"You are weak. You befriend others instead of using your strength and power to dominate them. You are nothing but an emotional weakling, Doctor."

He smirked.

"But you won't be weak for much longer. Once I block the goodness from your mind, I will make you more powerful than you have ever dreamed."

"I'd rather be an emotional weakling than a cold hearted slave master any day."

Alcanthus chuckled.

"Very well, if you wish to feel your emotions; then I will certainly oblige you."

He gestured to a slave. The Doctor's eyes widened as the slave took a dagger off the rack and walked over to Alcanthus."

The Doctor looked at the slave's blank expression as he carried the dagger to his master.

"Listen to me!" he said to the slave, trying to reason with him. "Don't do this. You're about to cause the deaths of two innocent people. Use the dagger and kill your master. Fight for your freedom!"

Alcanthus chuckled as the slave handed him the dagger.

"A noble effort, Doctor; but a waste of time, I'm afraid. All my slaves are completely in my control."

The Doctor glanced down at Ocelus and looked back up at him. He smirked.

"All?" he said, raising his eyebrow.

Alcanthus shrugged.

"There are exceptions to every rule, I suppose." He said.

He waved the slave away.

"Enough of this meaningless conversation; It is time to begin your conversion, Doctor."

Ocelus's eyes were as big as saucers as Alcanthus waved the dagger in front of him.

"I'm warning you, Alcanthus. You are digging your own grave with every move you make." The Doctor warned. "Set Ocelus and Rose free or…"

The Doctor gasped as Alcanthus suddenly flicked the knife and cut Ocelus's right cheek.

"Damn you, Alcanthus!" he yelled. "Leave them alone and deal with me!"

"I am dealing with you, Doctor." Alcanthus said, grinning. "And now I will deal with you some more!"

The Doctor gritted his teeth as Alcanthus cut Ocelus's left cheek.

"You heartless bastard!" The Doctor yelled.

"That's it, Doctor! Let the darkness out!"

The Doctor took two quick breaths. He couldn't let himself lose control. He watched helplessly as Alcanthus pulled up Ocelus's shirt and cut it off him.

Alcanthus paused a moment and then with a gleeful smile cut a deep gash down Ocelus's back.

The Doctor gnashed his teeth as Ocelus screamed in agony.

"You monster." The Doctor muttered between clenched teeth.

"Oh look at what I did." Alcanthus said with mock sympathy. "I went and cut my slave. Pretty deeply too. I guess we'll just have to cauterize the wounds. Wouldn't want them to become infected. That would be a shame."

He gestured to a slave and the Doctor's eyes widened in horror as the slave went over to a cauldron and picked up a red hot poker from a bed of coals.

"No." the Doctor murmured as the slave brought the poker to Alcanthus.

Alcanthus took the poker and waved the slave away. He held the poker over Ocelus's back for a moment grinning as he heard Ocelus whimper and saw the anguish in the Doctor's eyes. Then, keeping his eyes on the Doctor's face, he brought the poker down on the gash on Ocelus's back.

The Doctor struggled to get out of his restraints as Ocelus screamed in agony.

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In the cell, Rose turned her face away as Ocelus held her.

"Oh God, this is horrible." She moaned. "The Doctor will never get through this without losing it."

Ocelus hugged her as they listened to Alcanthus's mocking laughter.

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The Doctor fought back his rage as the smell of burnt flesh permeated his nostrils. He looked at Alcanthus who was watching his internal struggle with interest. He looked over at Rose and his hearts ached as he saw the terrified expression on her face. He swallowed hard. Ocelus was bad enough; he knew he would never be able to get through Rose's torture with his sanity intact. He had to do something now to save his lover and his friend. He watched as Alcanthus put the poker close to Ocelus's cheek.

"No! Wait!"

Alcanthus paused and looked at him.

"Yes?" he said in an overly sweet voice. "What do you want?"

"I surrender."

"You surrender?"

"Yes, do what you want with me. Make me your slave. I won't resist." The Doctor said in a dull tone of voice. "Just let them go."

"No!" both Roses said simultaneously.

Alcanthus considered his words.

"You give yourself willingly to me?" he asked.

"Yes, I will be your horseman."

"No, Doctor, no!" the real Rose cried as she banged on the window. "Don't give in!"

Alcanthus thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well, my horseman, I accept your surrender."

The real Rose put her hand over her mouth as tears flowed down her face.

"No." she moaned as Ocelus hugged her from behind.

The Doctor looked over at Rose as she cried softly and tried to break free from her chains.

"Let Rose come to me." The Doctor said to Alcanthus. "Let her say goodbye, please."

Alcanthus looked back at the clone and smirked. This was going better than he had hoped. He looked back at the Doctor.

"Of course. I can't resist granting a last request." He said.

The Doctor swallowed back his tears and smiled at Rose as Alcanthus gestured to a slave to free her. As the manacles fell from her wrists, Rose ran to the Doctor and embraced him as he kissed her cheek.

"Doctor, don't do this." She begged.

"I have to do it. For you. For Ocelus." He whispered.

"Doctor, I can't live without you. I can't leave you here."

"You have to. You have to get Ocelus and yourself away from here. Tell them to take you and Ocelus to the TARDIS and then tell the TARDIS to take you far away from here. She'll know what to do."

"But, what about you?"

The Doctor glanced at Alcanthus who was watching with amusement. He looked back at her.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a way out of this." He said. "All that matters to me now is you and Ocelus getting to safety."

"Oh Doctor."

The Doctor shut his eyes as Rose lowered her head onto his shoulder and wept quietly.

"I love you, my Rose. I'll always love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, my Doctor." Rose whispered back.

Rose put a hand on the Doctor's cheek and leaned in. They kissed tenderly for a moment before the Doctor reluctantly broke it off.

"Go now, hurry." He said to her.

Rose shook her head.

"Go!" he said forcefully. "Go before Alcanthus changes his mind."

He gave Rose one more kiss and nuzzled her cheek as she slowly got up from his lap. With tears in her eyes, she stroked the Doctor's cheek before turning and heading towards Alcanthus.

As she neared Ocelus, Alcanthus seized her from behind. Before the Doctor could react, Alcanthus grabbed the side of Rose's head and with an evil grin twisted her head violently. The grin widened as a loud 'CRACK' echoed throughout the room and…

"NO!" The Doctor screamed as Alcanthus threw Rose's lifeless body to the floor.

The Doctor let out an agonizing cry of torment that was matched by Rose in the cell.

"ROSE!" he wailed. "NO!"

As the Doctor felt his hearts rip in two, what little control he had possessed over his emotions shattered. Alcanthus laughed as the Doctor let out a scream of rage and with wild eyed fury fought to break out of his restraints.

"I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS, ALCANTHUS!" he bellowed. "I WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND HOLD IT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE AS YOU DIE!"

The real Rose screamed and pounded on the glass wanting nothing more than the Doctor to see she was still alive.

Ocelus sat behind her in silent shock as he watched the lives of his two friends fall apart in front of his eyes.

The Doctor screamed out his rage and agony as Alcanthus watched him with delight. He knew this was exactly what he had been hoping for but at the moment he didn't care. His whole reason for living lay dead at his feet; her sightless eyes staring up at him with no warmth or love in them. A part of him told him to keep calm for Ocelus who was still chained to the floor staring up at him, horrified. A part of him kept trying to tell him to hold onto his sanity for his sake, but it kept getting pushed aside by the unbridled rage within him. All he could think of now was getting free and making Alcanthus and his slaves suffer a slow, painful death for what they did to him.

Alcanthus smirked as he listened to the Doctor's screams of rage and looked at his coal black eyes staring back at him with hate.

"You are mine, Doctor. Now and forever." He whispered gleefully.

He nodded to the slave behind the Doctor and he quickly came up behind the Doctor's chair, raised a club and knocked him out.

The room fell silent as Alcanthus walked to the unconscious Doctor and stared down at him triumphantly.

"Excellent. He is ready for his conversion." He said. "Soon my horseman will bring death and destruction upon the universe and in time all will bow before me."

He looked down at the ring on the Doctor's hand and smirked.

"You will no longer need this, my horseman. Love no longer has any place in your life."

Rose put her hand over her mouth and shook her head as she watched Alcanthus wrench the ring off her lover's finger, stare at it for a moment in disdain and then throw it at a nearby grate in the floor. Her eyes widened as the ring bounced, in what to seemed to her like slow motion, for a moment and then fell through one of the holes and vanished from sight. Rose's head fell into her hands and she wept as Ocelus held her."

Alcanthus looked at the slave holding the club. He reached into his robes and handed him a key.

"Sedate him and carry him to the laboratory. We will start the IV immediately."

"Yes, master."

As he and another slave began to unlock the restraints, Alcanthus looked down at the clone who was staring up at him with wide eyed fear. He reached down to strangle him but then paused and thought better of it.

"This clone may be useful to me. I've already killed one. It would be a shame to waste another."

He motioned to his other slaves.

"Take the clone back to the lab and imprison him until he can be brainwashed."

"Yes master." The slaves replied.

Alcanthus glanced over at the mirror and smirked. He walked over to the wall beside it and pressed a small button. He walked back to the slaves.

"I have just activated the sleeping gas in the cell. In a few moments, the gas will automatically be cleared from the room. Once that is done, go in and get the two prisoners. The female I want bound and taken back to my room. Ocelus…"

He paused as he considered his fate. Ocelus had been a faithful servant up until the Doctor had come along. Like his clone, it would be a waste to kill him. However, he had to make sure that if he were brainwashed back into servitude, Ocelus would stay that way.

"Leave Ocelus in the cell for the time being. I wish to give him a lobotomy so he will never defy me again and I want to make sure I can tell him apart from his clone."

"Yes master." The slaves replied.

"Now go and do my bidding." He said waving them away.

As the slaves obeyed his orders, Alcanthus turned and looked at the Doctor as he was being dragged from the room.

"At last. "He said "The last Time Lord in existence and he is mine forever."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Rose opened her eyes and cursed as she saw she was back in Alcanthus's bedroom bound tight with the leather straps. Laying her head back on the pillow she let out a sigh.

"Oh God, Doctor." She said. "I can't let this happen to you. I have to find some way to get free and get through to you. I can't let Alcanthus use you to hurt and kill people."

She swallowed.

"And Ocelus…oh God, say he didn't kill him while I was out." She murmured.

She shook her head. She couldn't think of that right now. She had to find a way to get free and save her lover and her friend before it was too late.

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Alcanthus grinned as he entered the laboratory and all his slaves prostrated before him. Right in the middle of all of them lying unconscious and strapped to a table was his horseman. Like a kid on Christmas morning, he walked over to him and stared down with barely contained joy.

"At last, my horsemen are complete and I can unleash them upon the universe." He said.

He looked at one of the slaves.

"Has everything been done as I requested?" he asked.

"Yes, master. The Doctor…"

"Call him horseman or Death from now on." Alcanthus corrected. "After this treatment is completed, the man who is the Doctor will be no more."

The slave nodded.

"Your horseman has been sedated and he is ready for the drug." He said. "The clone is in the holding cell and has been sedated as well."

"Excellent. Then begin with the IV."

"Yes, master."

He watched as the slaves inserted the IV needle into the back of the Doctor's hand and smiled.

He chuckled as he noticed the Doctor's face contorting and his eyes moving rapidly under his lips as he slept.

"Pleasant dreams, Doctor; when you awake you will be a mindless slave."

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The Doctor looked at the darkness surround him. This wasn't the kind of darkness that happened when someone turned out a light in a room, it was complete impenetrable blackness. He stood unsure of where to go or where he was. The last thing he remembered was being strapped to the chair in the torture chamber screaming with rage and Rose lying at his feet…

The Doctor closed his eyes in anguish. Rose. His Rose was dead and he had been powerless to stop it. He had been such a fool to call him to her instead of telling her to run. It was his fault she was dead. He knew Rose's lifeless stare would haunt him forever. He would never get over the sight of her blank eyes mutely accusing him of her murder and he knew would never forgive himself.

He sank to the ground, head in hands, crying softly, wishing more than anything that he could hold Rose in his arms, kiss her lips, and see her beautiful smile. But it was impossible. She was now in a place that he wouldn't be able to go until he had lived this life and three more after it. Centuries until he could hold his Rose again, and in the meantime…

The Doctor shuddered as he thought of the things Alcanthus was going to have him do. The people he would kill and the planets he would help Alcanthus bring to their knees. A part of him wanted not to care. With Rose dead, there was nothing worth living for, but he knew that Rose would never want him to give up. He had to try and do something to break Alcanthus's hold on him. Millions of lives depended on it.

"I have to try." He said to himself. "I can't give up. Ro…"

The Doctor frowned. Suddenly he was having trouble remembering that girl's name. The one that traveled with him. The pretty one with the blonde hair. What was her name again? He focused trying to remember but it just wasn't coming to him. It started with an R though, he thought. R or S or was it a C?

The Doctor shook his head. What was going on? Suddenly it was becoming very hard to remember things. That girl's name was right on the tip of his tongue. Or…was it a boy? Now he couldn't even be sure of this person's gender. It was the person that traveled with him in his…

The Doctor frowned. His spaceship. The thing he traveled around in. Now he couldn't think of what the name for that was. What was going on? It felt like he was losing all his memories. This couldn't be happening to him. He couldn't be losing his memories. He needed to focus. After all, lives were depending on him. He was the…

His eyes widened. Oh my God, what was his name? He couldn't think of what his name was now. It began with a… Oh God, he couldn't even think of the first letter. He had to focus. He had to remember. Who was he? Where was he and what was his purpose in life?

And then suddenly, he slowly began to remember who he was and what his purpose was in life. Suddenly it all made sense to him. An evil grin spread over his face as he nodded to himself.

"I am Death." He said confidently. "I am the Fourth Horseman, the destroyer of worlds. I am the Oncoming Storm that brings agony and death to all who oppose me."

There. There it was. Problem solved. He knew who he was now and he knew what he had to do. He had to help his master conquer the universe. And that he would do willingly.

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Alcanthus smiled as an evil grin spread across the Doctor's face as he lay unconscious before him.

"Welcome to your new life, my horseman." He said. "This day is your new birthday. The Oncoming Storm is reborn and soon everyone will know it!"

He picked up the black mask lying on a table beside the Doctor and smiled as he slipped it over his head. Finishing, he stepped back and stared at his horseman clad from head to toe in black leather.

"Death." He said, enjoying the sound of his horseman's name. "My beautiful and deadly Death."

He stood for a moment admiring the black clad figure before him.

"I think I shall give you a little test when you wake up, my horseman." He said. "I want to make sure that you are completely in my power before I use you."

He paused.

"And I think Rose should be present for this demonstration. Just in case she has any lingering doubts about my horseman regaining his memories of his former life."

He motioned to two of his slaves.

"Yes, master." They said as they walked up to him.

"Go get Rose and bring her to the torture chamber. Do not untie her. Just bring her in and set her in the chair the Doctor was in and make sure she is secure. I wish her to see what my new horseman can do when he wakes up."

"Yes, master." The slaves said.

He grinned as the slaves hurried away to do his bidding. He was looking forward to this demonstration and to Rose's reaction. It was going to be so much fun watching it. He could hardly wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Rose sighed as she glanced around the empty torture chamber. Awhile ago, two slaves had come and gotten her from Alcanthus's bedroom and without any explanation brought her in here and strapped here into the chair the Doctor had been sitting in. Any demand for explanations as to what she was doing here was ignored and the slaves simply left her bound and restrained in the chair and freezing her ass off. She didn't know how long it had been since they had left but she guessed it was at least two hours, maybe more. 

She turned her head and stared at the mirror. She wondered if Ocelus was still in the room behind it. If he was, there was no way for her to know. She shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Dammit, Rose, think! You gotta get out of this and go help Ocelus and the Doctor."

She stared longingly at the dagger that was lying on the rack across the room. If she could get to it and cut her leather restraints…

She glanced down at the titanium restraint across her midsection and rolled her eyes. Of course, in order to get to the dagger, she'd have to get out of this first.

"No, they couldn't have just sat me here and left me alone; had to make sure I didn't go hopping 'round the room and find a way to escape." She muttered to herself.

She sat and thought. Maybe she could reason with one of the slaves. She had seen the Doctor try it and heard what Alcanthus had told him but the Doctor had been right. Ocelus had turned; maybe another slave could be convinced too.

"If another slave would get in here so I could try it, that is." She muttered to herself.

She let out an angry puff of air. Maybe this was Alcanthus's plan to turn her into a mindless slave. Just let her sit here and be bored until her mind went blank. She wiggled trying to move and relieve the pressure of the metal seat on her aching butt.

As she cursed quietly to herself, she suddenly saw the door open out of the corner of her eye. She looked over as Alcanthus entered followed by two slaves.

"'Bout bloody time." She muttered.

"Hello, my dear." Alcanthus said cheerfully as he walked over to her. "I'm so sorry for the delay; I was finishing up a few things. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long."

He chuckled as Rose gave him a look of death. His eyes went down to her nightgown and looked hungrily at her breasts beneath the sheer fabric. He grinned as Rose's eyes narrowed even more.

"You can look, but that's all you're gonna be able to do!" she spat out.

Alcanthus raised his eyebrow and gave her an amused grin.

"My, my, you have a smart mouth, my dear. Traveling with the Time Lord has apparently rubbed off on you."

Rose glared at him.

"Where is he? Where's the Doctor?" she demanded.

Alcanthus smirked.

"The Doctor, as you know him, is dead." He said. "There is only my horseman now."

Rose swallowed hard as she felt fear rising inside her. She had feared that was why it had taken Alcanthus so long to come in, but she had tried to push it from her mind figuring that her Doctor could escape from him the way he had escaped from danger so many times before. Still, a part of her refused to believe that the Doctor was completely in his power. There must still be some part of him that could be reasoned with. If she could only just see him, talk to him, show him she was still alive and bring him back to his senses, then they could find Ocelus and the TARDIS and leave this place forever. All she had left was hope and she was determined to hold onto that no matter what.

As if Alcanthus could read her thoughts, he suddenly left her and walked back over to the door. He grinned as he leaned out.

"Enter my horseman." She heard him say.

"Yes, master!"

Rose's blood froze as she heard the Doctor answer back. Except, it wasn't the warm, gentle voice she was used to; the Doctor's voice was cold and hard and emotionless.

A lump formed in her throat as she slowly turned her head towards the door. She swallowed dreading what she was about to see. Tears came to her eyes as she saw the Doctor enter the room behind Alcanthus dressed from head to toe in the black leather bodysuit and mask; his eyes staring straight ahead as he followed him to Rose.

Rose gulped, gathering the courage to speak as Alcanthus and the Doctor stopped in front of her.

"Doctor!" she cried desperately. "It's me! It's Rose! I'm alive, Doctor! I'm alive!"

The Doctor looked down at her and terror gripped Rose's heart. Instead of the loving gaze he always had for her, there was only a cold, pitiless stare. Rose stared at his coal black eyes devoid of any warmth and shook her head in disbelief.

"No." she murmured. "It can't be true. You can't be his slave, Doctor."

"Oh, but I'm afraid it is true, my dear." Alcanthus said with barely contained joy. "The Doctor is no more. There exists only a merciless killing machine in his place."

He leaned down at her and smirked.

"And there is no reasoning with him. He listens to me and only me."

Rose stared at him defiantly.

"You might have been able to take control of his mind for the moment but it'll never last. My Doctor will find a way to break your mind control and come back to me, you wait and see."

She smirked.

"You've been able to suppress his goodness, but you haven't killed it completely." She added. "And sooner or later, it's gonna fight its way back into his mind. And as for killing innocent people…the Doctor will never do that because his inner goodness will never let him."

Alcanthus chuckled.

"Your childlike faith is so amusing." He said. "You're right. I wasn't able to kill the good within him. The drug wasn't that strong. But, it is strong enough to block it from his mind forever. He will never be the man he was before. He is Death now and before long I will use him to set my plan in motion to conquer the universe. But first, I wanted to demonstrate my hold over him to you so that you will give up this silly notion of trying to talk him out of my control. And as for killing innocent people…"

He straightened up and looked at the Doctor. He paused a moment and then pulled the mask off his face. Rose gasped as she looked at the emotionless expression on her lover's face.

"Horseman." 

"Yes, master."

He pointed to the two slaves standing nearby.

"Kill these two and use any method at your disposal to do it."

"Yes, master."

The Doctor turned to his right and stared at the slaves as they looked from him to Alcanthus and back in a state of shock. The Doctor moved towards them as the slaves backed up towards the open door.

"Close the door." Alcanthus yelled.

"Yes, master." replied a slave who was standing out in the hallway.

The two slaves in the room stared, panicked, as the door was closed and locked from the outside. They glanced back at the Doctor who was closing in on them, a sneer plastered on his face as he raised his hands to choke them. The slaves glanced at each other and tried to duck and dodge around the Doctor towards the torture implements lying on the rack. One managed to duck around the Doctor, but the other was not quick enough. His eyes widened in horror as the Doctor grabbed him by his shirt and stared at him with pitiless eyes.

"You will die as the master commands." He said in a hard, cold voice.

"No, Doctor! Don't do it, please!" Rose screamed as she fought to get free.

The Doctor ignored her as he raised his hand to the slave's throat. As he was just about to kill him, he suddenly gritted his teeth and dropped the slave to the ground as the second one slashed him across the back with the dagger.

The Doctor spun around and the slave gulped as the Doctor's eyes bored into him. Trembling, he slashed at the air with the dagger trying to keep the Doctor away from him. The Doctor smirked at this, waited a moment and then with one rapid movement grabbed the slave's wrist as he made another pass with the dagger and with a loud crack broke his wrist.

Both Rose and the slave let out anguished screams at the same time as the dagger clattered to the floor. With a triumphant smirk the Doctor picked it up and with one fluid motion, sliced open the slave's throat. Rose screamed as the slave's eyes widened in shock and he let out a gurgle as blood poured from his mouth and he slowly sank to the floor. The Doctor watched impassively as the slave let out one final breath and his gaze fixed on the wall beside him.

"Oh God, Doctor." Rose cried out. "Oh God, please, fight his hold on you! I love you so much! Don't do this! Please fight this, for me!"

Alcanthus laughed as the Doctor ignored her completely and turned around towards the other slave who was now across the room from him staring at him, terrified. Purposefully, he strode across the room towards the slave, as he looked left and right trying to find a way to escape. He looked back at the Doctor as he closed on him, the dagger leaving a tiny trail of blood dots on the floor as the Doctor tightened his grip around the handle. He picked up a chain lying loose on the floor and in desperation threw it at the Doctor. The Doctor smirked as he sidestepped the chain, which clattered harmlessly at his feet, and kept on advancing towards the slave.

Rose stared at the slave with pity as the man stared at the Doctor with wild-eyed terror. She looked at Alcanthus.

"Stop this!" she said to him. "Please! I've seen enough! Leave that man alone! Call the Doctor off!"

Alcanthus chuckled to himself as he ignored her and stared proudly at his horseman as he came within reach of the terrified slave.

The slave gulped as the Doctor stared at his prey and reached for him. He glanced down and his eyes widened as he looked at the Doctor's legs. Gritting his teeth, he mustered all his strength and dove for them trying to knock the Doctor off balance. He managed to move the Doctor a little and hope swelled in his heart as he nearly fell over, but the Doctor quickly corrected himself and with a mirthless laugh reached down, hauled the slave to his feet, seized him by the neck and shoved him against the back wall.

"I am Death." He said as his eyes bored into his. "And no one escapes me!"

The slave's eyes widened in shock as the Doctor applied pressure and broke his neck. Rose screamed in anguish as the Doctor released his grip on him. As the slave slid slowly down the back wall, he turned and strode back to Alcanthus's side, his face showing no concern at all for the two dead slaves or for Rose.

"Oh God, Doctor!" Rose wailed as tears poured from her eyes.

Alcanthus sneered as the Doctor turned around behind him and stared at Rose impassively.

"You see, my dear. It's useless. The Doctor is mine now and nothing you can say or do will bring him back to you. He is dead now and Death has been reborn in his place."

"YOU MONSTER!" Rose screamed. "YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER! IF THE DOCTOR WON'T STOP YOU, I WILL!"

Alcanthus smirked. He turned and whispered in the Doctor's ear and pressed something into his hand as Rose cried and pleaded with the Doctor to fight him.

"Yes, master." The Doctor said as Alcanthus finished whispering and turned around to look at Rose.

Rose's eyes widened as the Doctor walked towards her. Terror surged through her body and she cried and shook her head as he neared. For the first time since they had met, she feared him and what he might do to her. The Doctor paused for a moment hovering over her body as Rose shut her eyes waiting for the crack that would come when he broke her neck and ended her life. Instead she head a small click and her eyes opened to see the Doctor using Alcanthus's key to unlock the titanium restraint holding her to the chair.

"I've instructed my horseman to take you back to my bedroom. I figure you will want to rest after all the excitement." Alcanthus said, chuckling.

Rose stared desperately into her lover's eyes as he reached around her waist hoping against hope that the fact that she was alive would somehow register in his brain and bring back his will to fight. Instead, she gulped as she saw only a cold, pitiless gaze and she shut her eyes in anguish as the Doctor jerked her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder. Her body wracked with sobs, Rose squeezed her eyes shut praying that everything that had occurred had just been a bad dream and any moment she would awake to find the Doctor smiling at her and wishing her a good morning. Hope draining from her mind, she did not resist or cry out as the Doctor carried her like a sack of potatoes out of the torture chamber, down the hallway and into Alcanthus's bedroom. Rose let out a grunt as the Doctor slammed her back down onto the bed and stared down at her impassively.

"Don't worry, Doctor." Rose said, staring up at him. "I will free you from this. I will find a way. My love for you is stronger than any drug Alcanthus can put in your body."

The Doctor did not respond. He regarded her impassively for a moment and then silently turned and left the room as Rose cried anguished tears for him. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

As her crying faded away into sobs, Rose gulped and stared at the wall. She shut her eyes trying to block the image of the Doctor's blank expression and hard, cold stare from her mind. She tried instead focusing on the Doctor as she knew him, and remembering him in far happier times.

The loving eyes that stared into hers as they lay in bed together wrapped in each other's arms.

The look of concentration on his face, and the light dancing on his glasses, as he sat quietly in the library studying a book.

The annoyed look he'd get and his cry of "Rose Tyler, for the last time; cut that out!" as he stood at the console looking at something on his computer screen while she passed back and forth behind him pinching his butt repeatedly.

The Doctor laughing his cute little laugh as he chased her through the TARDIS with whipped cream all over his face after the time she had ambushed him in the kitchen and sprayed it on him.

She tried to focus on all these things, but the image of the Doctor's hardened stare and the cold blooded murder of the slaves always managed to invade her memories.

After awhile, she gave up trying to block the images from her mind. It was no use and she knew Alcanthus meant it that way. What she had just seen was designed to break her spirit the way the Doctor's spirit had been broken seeing her clone die. She cursed Alcanthus under her breath and swore to get even with him somehow.

"You may think I'm just a mere woman, but I'm more than that." She muttered to herself. "I'm Rose Tyler, the destroyer of the god of the Daleks and buddy; you made a big mistake messing with my Doctor! He may be the Oncoming Storm, but I'm the mini Oncoming Storm and I too can make your life a living Hell! And I AM going to save him even if I have to die to do it!"

As she finished speaking, she imagined the Doctor standing in front of her staring at her saying "That's my Rose." with pride in his eyes. The image of that gave her courage and lifted her spirits again and she regained her determination to fight to save the man she loved. 

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Ocelus sank back against the wall of his cell and put his head in his hands. He had seen everything. Watched as the Doctor murdered two men without batting an eye and Alcanthus mocking Rose as she screamed at him to stop. The memory of it sickened him and filled him with rage. He had to find a way to get out of his cell and find Rose. They had to help the Doctor before anything else happened. He knew that this had all been a test of the Doctor's obedience and having passed it, it would only be a day or two before the Doctor was sent to other worlds with the other horsemen to begin the conquest of the universe. He was willing to bet too that not only would Rose spend the rest of his life being a concubine, but would also be a spectator to the Doctor's carnage. He knew how vain Alcanthus was and he wouldn't pass up any opportunity to show off his greatest creation in action to someone, especially if that someone was Rose. The combination of him raping her and her having to watch her love killing countless people over countless worlds would alter her personality just as much as the drug had altered the Doctor.

He stared at the door and looked down at himself. He wasn't bound in any way. He knew sooner or later a slave would come to the door bringing him food or at the very least transferring him out of the room to be punished. All he had to do was wait until the door was opened and then he would spring and overpower him and escape. Unless, Alcanthus himself came to the door…

"No," Ocelus muttered to himself. "Alcanthus has the Doctor now. I'm sure he'll be too busy with him to bother coming himself. More than likely he will send a slave to fetch me."

He smirked.

"And when he does, I'm gonna be ready for him."

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"Sit."

"Yes, master."

The Doctor sat down on the table in the laboratory while Alcanthus went around him to take a look at his back. He glared at the knife wound and cursed the slave for harming his horseman. He was glad his horseman wasn't deterred in any way by it and had punished the slave for his insolence. He breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed the wound wasn't very deep. It wouldn't require stitches. He was glad. He wanted to use him right away and any delay was unacceptable. He gestured to a slave near him.

"Clean this up."

"Yes, master." The slave replied.

As the slave unzipped the body suit and pulled it back to get at the wound, Alcanthus walked around to the front and stared at the Doctor's impassive face.

"You did well today, horseman. I'm proud of you. You are ready to lead my other horsemen into battle."

"Yes, master."

He grinned.

"I think my new concubine shall accompany me when I watch you exact my will, horseman. As close as you two were, I would think it would be a shame leaving Rose in my room where she can't see you and…"

He paused and stared into the Doctor's eyes. Was that a flash of…recognition when he said her name just now? He could have no memory of her whatsoever. His horseman could grab onto it and use it to break himself of his control. He stared deeply into his eyes.

"Rose." He said watching him.

He stared hard into the Doctor's eyes but all he saw were blank, dead eyes staring back.

He mentally shrugged. It was probably his imagination. The Time Lord was his now. He had proved that back in the torture chamber. It was probably just some residual fears he had that made him see things that weren't there. Still, he would keep a close eye on him for the first few days just to make sure.

He walked back around and looked at the wound as the slave finished cleaning it up. He smiled as he noticed it was mostly a flesh wound. The blood had made it look worse than it was. His horseman was ready.

He looked at the slave.

"Take him back to his room and hook the IV up to him. My horseman has been through a lot today and I want him to have some rest before we begin our conquest tomorrow."

"Yes, master."

He watched as the slave zipped up the body suit and he glanced at the gash the dagger had made in the leather.

"When you are through with that, get a couple of spare outfits and put them in his room. I do not anticipate my horseman having any trouble being as powerful as he is but it never hurts to prepare and I want my horseman to always look his best wherever we go."

"Yes, master."

He smiled.

"In the meantime, I will be spending the night with his former lover. And I want no distractions of any kind. You will only bother me if it is an absolute emergency. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master."

"Excellent, now go."

He walked back around to the front of the Doctor and looked at him.

"Go with him, horseman. He will take you to your room." He said, pointing at the slave.

He frowned as the Doctor did not answer him or move.

"You will go with this slave and he will take you back to your room. Is that understood?" he repeated.

"Yes, master." The Doctor replied.

Alcanthus stared at him. His horseman had hesitated. Granted it wasn't for very long but he had hesitated for a moment. He stared into the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor couldn't break his hold on his mind, not now; not ever. He decided to try another little test.

"While you are resting tonight, horseman, I will be in my room having my way with Rose." He said.

His eyes widened as just for a second there was a hint of anger in the Doctor's eyes. It had passed quickly though and his eyes were now as blank and impassive as they had been moments before.

"No, that's impossible. You can't be fighting the drug." He muttered to himself.

He smirked.

"No matter, I will just give you a higher dosage from now on. I will drug you until you are a mindless zombie if that's what it takes to keep you under my control, Doctor. I'm not about to let my greatest creation get away from me."

He beckoned to the slave.

"Yes, master?"

"Increase the dosage on the drug by half. I want to make sure my horseman is not going to shake off the effects of the drug and go running off in the middle of the night."

"Yes, master."

He waved him away.

"Go, and go with him." He said to the Doctor.

"Yes, master." The Doctor replied without hesitation.

Alcanthus smirked.

"You may try to fight, Doctor." He muttered to himself. "But the drug is proving to be much stronger than you are and once the dosage is increased; there will be no fight left in you at all."

He watched as the Doctor got up off of the table and followed the slave out the door.

"And now that I've taken care of that, it's onto the next problem." He muttered.

He beckoned to another two more slaves.

"Yes, master." The slaves said.

"Go and fetch Ocelus from his cell. I want to have that lobotomy performed on him so I can be sure he won't be able to think of getting free and assisting my horseman."

"Yes, master."

Alcanthus breathed a sigh of relief as they walked off.

"And now, a bit of relaxation with Rose." He said.

Grinning, he followed the slaves out the door. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Ocelus looked up as he heard movement outside the cell door. Rising, he squatted down on his haunches and readied himself as he heard the key turning in the lock. Tensing his muscles, he gritted his teeth as he watched the door open.

The slaves opened the door and gasped as Ocelus let out a yell and ran straight into them. Before they could recover from the shock, he felled the one nearest him with a haymaker and pushed the other into the cell. He quickly shut the door, picked up the key from the floor and locked the door. He stared down in disdain at the unconscious slave at his feet.

"Coward." He said to him.

He spat on his face and with a snort, quickly turned and headed towards Alcanthus's room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose turned her head and looked at the door. She glared at Alcanthus entered and grinned at her.

"Ah, and now my dear it is time for you." He said, walking over to her.

"You won't be able to keep the Doctor enslaved forever." She said. "I betcha right at this moment he's fighting the drug."

She paused as she noticed Alcanthus hesitate. She smiled.

"He is, isn't he? My Doctor is freeing himself from your control." She said, overjoyed.

Alcanthus smirked.

"He was. But only barely, my dear. And now that I've ordered the drug to be increased, there will be no more resistance so if I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up."

Rose smirked back.

"No, I think you are the one who shouldn't get your hopes up." She said. "You see, the Doctor's love for me goes a lot deeper than his mind and that love is gonna help him to break free."

"Ah, but he thinks you're dead, my dear."

"Doesn't matter. The Doctor's need to avenge my death will help him overcome the drug."

She grinned.

"Besides, how do you know for sure he didn't figure out that it was me sittin' there alive when he did have those little moments of clarity? He looked right at me, you know."

Alcanthus shifted slightly.

Rose grinned.

"Yeah, thanks to you and your little need to torment me, he got a reeeeal good look at me in that torture chamber. Saw my face, heard my voice, saw me tied up in this skimpy little nightgown crying my eyes out. The Doctor hates to see me cry, d'ya know that? He gets reeeeeeally angry when someone makes me cry. He gets even angrier when he knows someone is tormenting me."

She looked him straight in the eye.

"And I'm sure you know what happens when the Doctor gets angry, dontcha?"

She raised her eyebrow.

"So, if I were you. I wouldn't rape me. Because if the Doctor finds out; he is bound to do to you what he did to those slaves; except it won't be as quick a death as they had."

Alcanthus chuckled.

"Such an amusing child." He said grinning. "I believe I told you that the dosage of the drug is being increased on the Doctor. As soon as I saw it was wearing off, I ordered a slave to escort him back to his room and put the IV in so as I said, any resistance the Doctor had is gone."

"Unless…the drug wore off enough on the way back to his room for the Doctor to recover his mind and escape."

She gave him a smug smile as she noticed the fear in Alcanthus's eyes.

"Yeah." She said relishing seeing the fear in Alcanthus's eyes for a change. "I betcha right now he's on his way here wanting nothing more than to put his hand down your throat and rip your lungs out. You do know he has a dark side, doncha?"

She giggled as Alcanthus jerked his head and looked back at the door.

Alcanthus looked back at her and smirked.

"Well, then, I suppose we better move you to a safer location then, my dear. Wouldn't want the Doctor to interrupt our lovemaking."

Rose suppressed a grin as he came nearer. She had finally figured out a way to get around the limitations of the leather restraints and fight back. Using her acting skills, she gave him a look of terror.

"No." she whimpered. "Don't move me somewhere else. Don't keep me from my Doctor."

Alcanthus smirked as he noticed all the bravado vanish before his eyes. Rose was like any other female in the universe. Weak and easily dominated.

"Don't worry, my dear. You'll see your love tomorrow when I take you along to watch his conquest." He said in a patronizing tone of voice as he came closer to her.

He chuckled as he saw the terror in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Rose. As long as you obey me, I won't hurt you." He said.

His eyes widened as the look of terror was replaced by an enraged look.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna hurt you, buster!" she spat out.

Raising her bound legs, she drew them back to her chest and with all the strength in her launched them straight into Alcanthus's crotch like a battering ram. 

Alcanthus froze for a moment, total surprise on his face and then, grabbing his crotch, he fell to his knees. Rose drew back her legs again.

"Nighty night, now." She said.

She let go and grinned as she kicked Alcanthus square in the head. The grin widened as his head snapped back and he fell to the floor unconscious.

"Bloody Hell that felt good." She said, laying her legs back down.

She paused for a moment.

"Um…okay…now what do I do?" she murmured.

She glanced down at her restraints and groaned. She had been so excited about her idea about kicking Alcanthus; she hadn't bothered to think past it. She sighed as she lay in the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Aw, well, at least I got my licks in on the wanker." She muttered.

Her head jerked up as the door opened.

"Doctor?" she said, praying that's who it was.

She grinned as she saw it was the next best thing.

"Rose! I'm here!" Ocelus said, rushing into the room. "I…"

He paused and stared at Alcanthus passed out on the floor. He looked up at Rose.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Rose said. "I would have left you some. But Alcanthus was about to rape me, and I really am protective of my body, so I just went ahead and laid the sot out cold."

Ocelus shook his head.

"I can see why the Doctor loves you so much." He said. "You're just as deadly as he is."

"You better believe it buster! I'm the big bad wolf and don't you forget it!"

Ocelus frowned.

"Big bad wolf?" he muttered.

"Never mind, not important." He said, shaking his head.

He went over to get Rose free from her restraints. On the way, he paused and stared down at Alcanthus. He grinned as he kicked his head and heard him let out a grunt.

"Feels good, don't it?" Rose asked.

"Feels really good."

He kicked him again.

"That felt even better." He added.

He grinned as he went past him to Rose and freed her from her restraints.

"Come on," he said, helping her up. "Let's go rescue the Doctor."

They started to go but paused at Alcanthus. They looked at each other, grinned and both of them kicked him hard. They smiled at each other as they let out another grunt.

"I love that sound he's making. Best sound I've ever heard in my life." Ocelus said.

"I hear that!" Rose replied.

Laughing, they hurried past him and ran out the door.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Rose ran after Ocelus as he led the way to the Doctor's room.

"Oh God, I hope the Doctor's okay. I hope he's broken free of that mind control." Rose said.

"We'll know in a moment, Rose. Just be prepared for anything." Ocelus replied.

They ducked into a room as a slave entered the hallway in front of them. Peeking out the door they watched as he went past. They waited a moment until he turned a corner and then hurried on.

Finally, they reached the Doctor's room. Cautiously, they crept up to the door. Rose watched as Ocelus opened the door a crack and looked inside.

"All clear. It's just the Doctor." He said looking back at her.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief as Ocelus opened the door and they stepped inside. 

Her face fell as she saw the Doctor was already fast asleep and hooked up to the IV.

"Oh God, they're putting more of that crap into him." She said. "Now he'll be under Alcanthus's control again."

Ocelus shook his head as he walked over and took the needle out of his arm.

"He hasn't been hooked up for long, Rose." He said as he tossed the needle to the floor. "I doubt if what he's been given is gonna make that much of a difference. He shook off the first dose pretty quickly so I'm betting he'll recover quickly from this dose too."

Rose walked over and tentatively put her hand on his head.

"I love you, Doctor." She whispered as she stared down at his closed eyes. "I know when you wake up from this, you're gonna start blaming yourself and wanting me to go away from you. But I won't do that. I know it's not your fault and I'm not afraid to be with you. I'll never be afraid."

She kissed his cheek and nuzzled it. As she raised her head she gasped as she saw the Doctor was awake and staring at her. She jumped back in surprise and Ocelus put a hand on her shoulder.

"He won't hurt us, Rose." He said.

Rose stared at the coal black eyes of the Doctor as he watched her silently.

"How…how do you know that?" she asked nervously.

"Because without orders, he won't do anything except stare at us like he's doing now. See watch..."

He pointed at Rose.

"Horseman! Kill this woman!"

"Oi!" Rose said, looking at him angrily. "What d'ya think you're doing?"

Ocelus gestured to the Doctor and Rose turned back. The Doctor was still lying on the table staring at them quietly. Rose frowned.

"Why didn't he obey?" she asked.

"Because Alcanthus is the only one who can give him orders. He won't listen to anyone else. So that's how I know we're safe from him. Alcanthus is out cold so the Doctor isn't going to be a threat to us."

Rose frowned.

"Can…he speak to us?" she asked.

"No. He won't speak to anyone except Alcanthus."

Rose muttered a curse.

"Can…he understand me if I speak to him? Will he remember what I said?" she asked.

Ocelus shrugged.

"I don't know. It depends on how much of the drug is in his system. I'm not sure if he even recognizes you right now."

"He does. Deep down inside, I know he does." She said.

Tentatively, she walked to the Doctor's side and stroked his cheek as he stared up at her with a blank look on his face.

"I don't know if you know who I am right now, Doctor." She said. "But in case you don't, I'm Rose and this is Ocelus and we're here to take you back to the TARDIS and take you away from here."

She bit her lip as the Doctor showed no emotion.

"Oh God, Doctor. I love you so much!" she said. "And when this stupid drug wears off, you'll remember that and everything will be alright again."

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. Leaning back up, she sighed as the Doctor stared at her with no sign of recognition.

"Let's get him back to the TARDIS before Alcanthus wakes up." She said angrily. "Although if I had my way, I would stay and kick the crap outta him for this."

She shook her head.

"Anyway, can't think of that now. We have to get back to the TARDIS. Come on, Doctor, let's go."

She sighed, as the Doctor didn't move.

"Oh yeah, can't obey me. Damn." She muttered.

She looked at Ocelus.

"What are we supposed to do then?" she asked.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to carry him." Ocelus said, shrugging.

"Is he gonna let us do that?" Rose asked.

"Should. Like I said, until Alcanthus gives him an order, he's just gonna lay there and stare at us."

Rose shook her head feeling like she wanted to rip out Alcanthus's heart.

"Okay…" she said, sighing. "I'll get the head, you get the legs."

Ocelus nodded. He positioned himself at the end of the table as Rose walked around to the front. 

She smiled as the Doctor stared up at her.

"We're gonna move ya, okay?" she said, rubbing his cheek. "So please don't snap our necks."

She rolled her eyes as the Doctor continued to stare. She put her finger in his mouth.

"Okey-dokey, Rose." She said in a deep voice as she moved his bottom lip up and down. "I will let you move me and I won't kill you or Ocelus because I love you very, very much!"

She paused as Ocelus gave her an odd look.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "I hate that he just stares at me and doesn't answer back. It's really creepy. Especially since one of the things he loves to do is talk."

Ocelus shrugged. He leaned over and grabbed underneath the Doctor's legs.

"Ready?" he asked.

Rose grabbed under his shoulders.

"Ready." She replied.

"Okay, on the count of three. 1…2…3!"

Both of them grunted as they lifted the Doctor off the table. Rose felt like she was going to have a hernia as they staggered towards the door.

"Oh bloody Hell, Doctor!" she groaned. "For someone who's as skinny as a rail, you sure do weight a ton when you won't move. I'm so glad it's not your 9th body because I'm pretty sure I would have busted a gut moving it!"

"What? 9th body?" Ocelus said, staring at her in confusion.

Rose sighed.

"Never mind. Never mind." She said. "Let's just get the Doctor back to the TARDIS. You know where it is, right?"

Ocelus nodded. Grunting, they moved slowly out of the room and out into the hall as the Doctor stared up at them silently.

"I hope to God you don't remember this, Doctor." Rose moaned as they staggered down the hallway. "I can just see you demanding that I carry you like this everywhere we go."

Praying that they wouldn't run into anyone, they made their way slowly down the hall.

"Is the TARDIS far?" Rose asked, hopefully.

Ocelus rolled his eyes.

"It's in a storage room on the other side of the building."

"Oh God, no." Rose groaned as Ocelus nodded.

She gasped as she nearly stumbled and fell.

"This isn't gonna work much longer. I think we'll have to drag him." She said, as they stopped.

"I think you're right." Ocelus agreed.

"Oh why drag him when I can get him to walk for you?"

Rose and Ocelus looked up at Alcanthus came around the corner and smirked at them.

He paused for a moment taking in the shock and fear on their faces and then with a triumphant grin he cried out…

"Horseman!"

"Yes, master!"

He pointed at Rose and Ocelus.

"Kill these two! Show them no mercy!"

"Yes, master!"

Rose gasped as the Doctor's blank expression became hard and cold as he stared up at her.

"Rose, run!" Ocelus shouted.

Rose was frozen for a moment as the Doctor reached out his hands toward her.

"Drop him, Rose! Run!" Ocelus screamed.

"Oh God, I'm sorry for this!" Rose said.

They both let go simultaneously and Rose winced as the Doctor landed on his head.

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Please don't remember that!" Rose said, wincing.

"Rose, forget about it! Come on!" Ocelus screamed as the Doctor began to get to his feet.

"Sorry!" Rose yelled back as they ran past Alcanthus who was laughing hysterically. 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Rose and Ocelus ran down the hallway trying to put as much distance between them and the Doctor as they could.

"Is the Doctor a fast runner?" Ocelus asked.

"He is when he wants to be." Rose replied.

Ocelus groaned.

"Well, we're just gonna have to lose him then." He said.

"How?"

Ocelus grinned.

"Follow me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alcanthus stopped walking as he heard an alarm sound. He knew what it meant. Someone had gone out of the building without prior authorization and he was pretty sure he knew who it was. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small communicator.

"Horseman." He said, speaking into it.

The Doctor halted, reached up and pressed the button on the speaker around his neck.

"Yes, master."

"They've gone outside. Follow them and destroy them."

The Doctor hesitated.

"Horseman!"

The Doctor's face became strained as he tried to fight off the drug.

"N…n…" he stuttered trying to speak.

There was a long pause on the other end of the communicator.

"Horseman!" Alcanthus finally said. "You will obey me or, Horseman or not, you will suffer. Is that understood?"

The Doctor's face settled back into its impassive state.

"Yes, master." He said without hesitation.

"Excellent! Now obey!"

"Yes, master."

The Doctor depressed the button and moved down the corridor towards the nearest exit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alcanthus breathed a sigh of relief as he put the communicator back in his robes. His horseman was still under his power but he knew it wouldn't be for long unless he got him hooked back up to the IV again. He considered calling him back and then thought better of it.

"No, the last thing Rose and Ocelus will see before they die is the Doctor. There is still enough of the drug left in his system to hold him. This shouldn't take too long anyway. My horseman is stronger and faster than the two of them combined. It'll all be over in five minutes." He reasoned.

Confident that his horseman would be able to finish the job quickly; Alcanthus smiled and went to check on his other slaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you know where we're going?" Rose asked as she followed Ocelus into a dense forest bordering the grounds.

He nodded.

"I've lived here all my life. I know the grounds and these woods like the back of my hand." He replied.

"Good, because I have no idea where we're going."

"Trust me, Rose. I know a lot of good hiding places. All we have to do is wait the Doctor out and eventually the drug will wear off and he'll go back to normal."

"Good. Because I feel like my lungs are about to burst." Rose panted.

She glanced back.

"D'ya think the Doctor knows we're out here?" she asked Ocelus.

"Oh yeah, we triggered that alarm when we came out here. No one comes out here without permission from Alcanthus so he knows we're out here and I'm sure he's sent the Doctor out here after us."

"Wonderful." Rose muttered.

"Don't worry, Rose. If the drug is wearing off that quickly for him it won't be too long. All he has to do is have it wear off enough to where he can take control of his mind again and we can stop worrying."

Rose nodded.

Ocelus stopped and grabbed Rose's arm.

"Here." He said, pointing off to his right. "There's a small cave nearby. We can hide there and let the Doctor pass by us."

Rose nodded. He let her lead her through the woods to a small narrow opening in a rock wall. She bent down and crawled in on her hands and knees coughing as she stirred up dust and leaves in her wake. Ocelus waited until she was inside before getting down and crawling in after her. They knelt in the cave and watched nervously searching for any signs of the Doctor.

After a few moments, they heard the soft crunching of underbrush and they crawled back further into the cave as the Doctor came into view. Rose fought off the urge to run to him and hold him, as he paused and looked around him; his coal black eyes scanning everything.

"D'ya think he can see this cave?" Rose whispered to Ocelus.

"I hope not. He doesn't know its here, so he might not notice it." Ocelus whispered back.

They watched as the Doctor pulled up some of the underbrush and examined it.

"On the other hand, if there's anyone more thorough in his investigations, it's the Doctor." Rose whispered as he watched the Doctor turn over a broken twig in his hands.

They scurried back farther into the cave as the Doctor turned his head and looked their way. As Rose went backwards trying to hide herself in the darkness, she felt her foot hit a rock. She winced as she heard the rock hit the cave wall with a loud 'CLACK'. Her eyes widened as the Doctor paused a moment, dropped the twig and slowly moved towards them.

"Oh crap, Sorry!" Rose muttered.

"Don't think about it now. We have to get out of here!" Ocelus hissed.

"Why?"

"Because this cave leads to a dead end."

"Great!"

"Come on, Rose, before he gets too close for us to make a getaway."

Cursing, Rose quickly scrambled out of the cave after Ocelus. As she got up, she saw the Doctor speed up out of the corner of her eye and pushed herself to run. Ignoring her burning lungs, she ran through the openings in the trees and jumped over rocks and fallen logs as the Doctor pursued her.

"Come on, Doctor. Get that bloody drug out of your system already!" she yelled.

She screamed as she miscalculated a jump and trip over a log in her path. Holding her injured leg, her eyes widened as the Doctor smirked and advanced on her.

"No! Please!" she murmured. "Wake up, Doctor! Please!"

She began to scoot herself back dimly aware that she had cut her left leg on the log and blood was trickling down it towards her foot. Gulping, she scooted backwards keeping her eyes on the Doctor who was sneering at her as he slowed down his pace, and watched her as she tried to get away.

Suddenly, Ocelus leapt out of the trees with a heavy stick trying to attack the Doctor's side. He gasped as the Doctor grabbed him by his neck and smirking at him threw him back against a nearby tree. Rose gasped as Ocelus hit his head hard and sank to the ground unconscious.

As the Doctor turned to finish him off, Rose spied a nearby rock. Wincing at the thought of hurting him, she drew her hand back and threw the stone. She scrambled to her feet as it hit the Doctor in the back of the head and he turned, glaring at her.

"Come on, Doctor! Come after me!" Rose yelled at him.

She watched as the Doctor looked at her and looked back at Ocelus conflicted about which one to go after. Rose took a deep breath. Gathering up her courage, she ignored the throbbing pain in her leg as she ran up to the Doctor who had turned his head back to Ocelus, and stomped hard on his right foot. She gulped as the Doctor swiveled his head around and stared at her angrily. Giving him a defiant look, she slapped him as hard as she could in the face and gasped and dodged as the Doctor made a grab for her.

As she ran, she looked back and saw the Doctor was making a beeline for her; his eyes cold and merciless as he pursued her. Rose frantically looked left and right trying to find a place to hide. Without Ocelus to guide her, she had no idea where to turn. Praying to herself, she turned a hard right and grimaced as a twig scrapped against the wound on her leg. As the sound of snapping twigs and crunching underbrush rang in her ears she put on a fresh burst of speed as both her leg and her lungs began to ache unbearably.

"Come on, you sodding drug! Wear off!" she screamed.

Up ahead through the trees, she could see a huge lake and hear the sound of a waterfall. She gritted her teeth and somehow found it in her to speed up some more as she heard the Doctor gaining on her. Jumping through the trees, she looked and saw a huge waterfall at the far end of the lake. Glancing at the rocky outcropping that lay at the bottom, she turned her head and ran directly into the lake. As her feet sloshed in the shallow water, she gulped as she heard sloshing directly behind her. Fighting to keep her balance running on the muddy river bottom, she finally got deep enough for her to dive in. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the water and kicked her legs frantically as there was a faint splash behind her telling her that the Doctor had dove in after her. She swam underwater turning her body to her right as she tried to keep her breath for as long as possible. After she couldn't take it any more, she finally surfaced and swam for the rocks as fast as she could. Ignoring the sound of splashing behind her, she kept her eyes blindly on the rocks ahead hoping to God she could reach them in time. After what seemed like an eternity, her hand finally hit a huge boulder and with all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself up onto it. As she got her legs up onto it, she gasped as a hand seized her leg, she looked around and her eyes widened as she saw the Doctor staring up at her with murder in his eyes.

"Oh God, Doctor, forgive me." She murmured to herself.

Shifting her right leg, she quickly brought it up and kicked the Doctor directly in the face. He grunted and let go of her leg and Rose scrambled further up onto the rocks towards the waterfall at the top. She felt her blood run cold as she heard the Doctor give out a frustrated yell and heard the sound of water splashing against rock as he got up on the boulder. Reaching the top, she stood up and quickly ran behind the waterfall towards the rocks on the other side. As she glanced back at the Doctor to see how far he was behind her, she gasped as her foot hit a wet patch of rock and she slid off her feet and landed hard on her chin. Stunned and exhausted, Rose could only slide onto her back and watched defeated as the Doctor reached the top of the rocks and stood up with a triumphant grin on his face.

Unable to find the strength to run anymore, she laid her head back on the rocky surface and listened to the roar of the waterfall as she watched her doom walk slowly towards her.

"I love you, Doctor." She whispered. "I always will. I tried so hard to free you. I hope somehow you'll remember that."

She shut her eyes as the Doctor reached down and placed his hands around her throat. She gulped waiting for the pressure and the snap of her neck that would end her life. She waited and waited and…

She opened an eye. The Doctor was directly above her; his hands still on her throat. But his face…

Rose opened both eyes and hope began to grow in her heart as she saw the Doctor's face straining as he silently battled himself.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"R…R…Rose…N…n…no….can't…do…this…" he said in a strained voice. "Must...f…fight…"

"Doctor!"

"L…l…ove…you…Rose." He said, staring down at her. "W…on't…h…h…hurt…you."

He let out a grunt and squeezed his eyes shut as he strained to break free. Rose's eyes widened as she felt the pressure on her neck decrease and the Doctor's hands loosening their grip. Tears came to her eyes as the Doctor let out a yell, took his hands away from her neck and flung himself away from her. She scooted back as she watched the Doctor on his hands and knees fighting and straining. She found the strength to sit up and wiped the watery mist off her face as she watched her lover slowly regaining his grip on his mind. After a few minutes more, she watched the Doctor collapse in a heap, exhausted.

"Did it. I did it." He gasped out as his head lay back on the rock.

As his chest heaved in and out, Rose cautiously inched her way to him. She jumped as the Doctor opened his eyes and stared at her. Tears flowed down her face as she looked into them and saw only the old familiar loving look he always had for her.

"Rose." He whispered holding his hand out to her.

Weeping, Rose scrambled to his side and lay down on top of him. Wrapping her arms around him, she rained kisses down on her face as the Doctor held her tight and rubbed her back.

"You're back." She said, in between kisses.

"Yes, I am." He soothed as he buried his face in her neck. "I'm here now. There's nothing to be afraid of now."

Rose nodded and kissed his lips drinking in the warmth and love in his eyes that she had taken for granted.

He smiled at her as he cupped her cheek.

"Any messages for me while I was out?" he asked.

Rose paused and looked at him.

"Yeah, you are back to normal." She said rolling her eyes as the Doctor winked at her.

She laid her head on his chest and sighed contentedly as the Doctor rubbed her back and watched her.

"So…" he said after awhile. "I take it from the fact that you are lying here in my arms right now that reports of your death were greatly exaggerated."

Rose chuckled softly.

"Yeah, it was a clone of me that he killed."

The Doctor nodded.

"I figured it was either that or a replicant." He said.

He looked at Rose.

"Was Ocelus a clone as well?"

Rose nodded.

"We were behind the huge mirror in a little cell. We saw and heard everything."

The Doctor snorted.

"And here I thought that was just more evidence of Alcanthus being in love with himself. Silly me." He muttered.

He looked off towards the waterfall.

"Damn you, Alcanthus." He muttered.

Rose put her hand on his cheek as he muttered something to himself in Gallifreyan. Rose heard him say Alcanthus in the middle of whatever he had said and guessed that he was muttering something about killing him and putting it into Gallifreyan to avoid scaring her.

He lay silently for a moment staring at the waterfall and rubbing Rose's back as she watched his face. Suddenly, he turned her face back to her and his eyes grew wide.

"Um…where's Ocelus at?" he said panicking.

Rose pointed back towards the woods.

"Um…He's lying back in the woods unconscious. You were coming after me and he tried to stop you and you threw him against a tree."

The Doctor flopped his head back on the rock and put his hand over his eyes.

"Oh Rassilon, what have I done?" he moaned.

"Doctor…"

"Who else did I hurt?" he asked, taking his hand away from his eyes and staring at her.

Rose gulped.

"Doctor, please…"

"Who else, Rose? I want to know!" he said angrily.

Rose flinched and his face softened as he cupped her cheek.

"Tell me." He urged gently.

Rose shut her eyes dreading this. She knew the Doctor wanted to know so he could add to the blame he already carried for the destruction of Gallifrey and punish himself.

"Rose…please…I know what you're thinking. I'm not doing this to torment myself. I want to know how much damage I did in case I need to go back and fix things. Please, don't be afraid. Tell me."

He pulled her close to him and stared at her with love as she stroked his face.

"You didn't destroy any worlds." She said.

The Doctor closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief through his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"What did I do?" he asked gently.

Rose bit her lip.

"You…killed two of his slaves while I sat in that chair you sat in and watched. And Ocelus was behind that mirror and saw it too." She said softly.

The Doctor closed his eyes in anguish and muttered angrily to himself in Gallifreyan. Opening his eyes, he stared at the waterfall for a moment and then cupping her face; he turned and stared at Rose.

"Rose?" he asked. "Do you trust me?"

Rose nodded without hesitation.

"You know I won't hurt you now, right?" he asked hesitantly.

He breathed a sigh of relief as Rose nodded and rubbed her cheek.

"Because I won't. I'm in control of my mind now, Rose and every moment I can feel more of that damned drug leaving my system. I'm not a threat to you or Ocelus any longer, do you understand that?"

Rose nodded.

"I know you won't hurt me now, Doctor." She said smiling.

The Doctor gave her a soft smile.

She frowned.

"Why are you asking me all this?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment as Rose stared at him in confusion. Opening them, he stared into her eyes as he rubbed her back.

"Because Rose, I have to call on the darkness within me one more time. I have to…kill Alcanthus. The man is too dangerous to live. He is a threat to the universe and I have to end his madness before he does something to someone else. He has enslaved Ocelus, the other three horsemen and countless others in that compound and he has tortured and tormented us both. I can't allow him to live, Rose."

He looked at her pleading with his eyes for understanding.

"I'm not doing this to be evil, Rose." He said.

"I know you're not, Doctor. You're not evil, okay?"

The Doctor paused and considered that.

"Maybe not now." He muttered to himself.

"No, Doctor. Not now and not ever." She said, cupping his face and turning his face to hers. "You are never going to be as evil as Alcanthus, alright? You can't let yourself think that."

The Doctor stared at her.

"I love you, Rose. I love that you have so much faith in me. But there is a lot I haven't told you about me. About my past and my future and what my fate might be. I've seen a glimpse of what I might become and it scares me more than you can ever know, Rose and every day that I live I inch closer to that destiny and what Alcanthus has done has given me a small preview of it."

Rose stared at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Doctor?" she said. 

She sighed in frustration as the Doctor stared back at the waterfall. She turned his head back to him.

"Doctor. Let me in." she pleaded. "Let me know what's going on. We're together now and I want to know some more about your past so I can share in it. I hate that you keep this all to yourself, Doctor. Let me in so I can help you."

"You can't help me, Rose. As amazing as you are, there is nothing you can do to prevent my future from happening."

"Then at least let me know what it is so you won't have to carry the burden alone. What do you mean Alcanthus has given you a glimpse of your future? Your dark side? We all have a dark side, Doctor. I have a dark side. Doesn't mean I'm evil. And as for being insane…everyone's a little nuts, Doctor. You have to be to exist in this universe."

The Doctor chuckled.

"You're right about that." He said.

He sobered up and stared into Rose's eyes.

"I'm just afraid…"

He sighed angrily.

"I'm just afraid if I tell you too much about myself, you'll become so scared you'll want to…"

"Leave you?" Rose finished.

She sighed.

"Doctor, how many times do I have to tell ya? I ain't going anywhere! I love you and I'll love you until I'm old and grey and my teeth are fallin' out. Nothing you tell me will scare me off. I've been through Hell with ya, and I'm still here. So tell me, Doctor. What do you mean by Alcanthus giving you a preview of your future?"

The Doctor hesitated for a moment and then nodded…

"Okay, Rose, since you want to know so badly. I'll tell you. I meant that…"

"Horseman?"

The Doctor paused as they heard Alcanthus's voice coming from the speaker around his neck. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Damn, that thing didn't get shorted out in the water?" she said staring at it angrily.

The Doctor grinned at that. He put his finger to his lips and shushed her. Clearing his throat, he pushed the button.

"Yes, master!"

He depressed the button.

"…bator." He added.

Rose giggled as the Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Where are you, horseman? Did you kill Rose and Ocelus yet?"

The Doctor shushed Rose as she put her hand over her mouth.

He thought for a moment and then pressed the button.

"Ocelus is dead, master. I have captured Rose and I'm about to kill her."

He depressed the button and shrugged.

"Excellent, horseman. Do not kill Rose. Bring her to me."

"Oh God, horny boy wants to try to rape me again." Rose muttered.

The Doctor giggled. Sobering up, he cleared his throat and pressed the button.

"Yes, master. I will bring Rose to you as you commanded."

"Excellent. Now obey."

"Yes, master!"

He took his finger off the button. Giving Rose an impish grin, he took a deep breath.

"SCREW YOU, YOU WANKER! I'LL OBEY YOU WHEN THE UNIVERSE IMPLODES IN ON ITSELF AND BY THEN I'LL BE DEAD!"

Rose giggled as he held up his middle finger.

"JUMP ON THIS AND SPIN IN THE MEANTIME! MAYBE YOU'LL DISLODGE THE STICK RAMMED UP YOUR ARSE!!!!"

Falling silent, he put his hands behind his head and gave Rose a smug grin as she clapped.

"Bravo, Doctor, my sentiments exactly." She said.

The Doctor grinned at her as he leaned up and kissed her lips. Sighing, he leaned back and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I suppose we oughta go. Can't keep the little wanker waiting, can we? After all, he might throw us in his snake pit and let an anaconda devour us alive."

"Ooo, or he could hang us up by our thumbs and tickle us with feather dusters!" Rose said, laughing.

"Or…he could strap us down in that chair of his and make us listen to Yoko Ono and Vanilla Ice records over and over until we're drooling incessantly."

Rose's eyes widened.

"Oh God, not that!" she said. "I'd rather have death."

"You and me both!" the Doctor said, chuckling.

Rose got up off him and helped the Doctor sit up.

"Better go get Ocelus too." He said. "Hopefully he's awake now and…"

He paused. Rose gave him a confused look and then followed his line of sight down to the gash on her leg. She looked back at the anguished look on his face.

"I'm okay, Doctor. It doesn't hurt now, honestly." She said.

The Doctor shook his head and sighed angrily.

"Right!" he said, getting up. "Come on, Rose. Let's go finish this once and for all!"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Rose and the Doctor walked slowly back through the woods towards Ocelus. As they walked, Rose glanced up and smiled as she saw the Doctor she knew and loved instead of the psychopathic monster Alcanthus had made him into. Inwardly, she was glad the Doctor was going to kill him. After all that he had done to them and Ocelus, he deserved it.

She looked down at his left hand and slipped her hand into it. She looked up and saw the Doctor smiling at her as he gave her hand a squeeze. She kissed his lips and leaned against them as they walked.

After a few moments, she heard the Doctor clear his throat.

"Hey, Rose."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Um, I think I already know that answer to this but I just have to ask. Um, how come the back of my head is throbbing and the front of my head is throbbing and the side of my head is throbbing and my right foot is throbbing? Did you have something to do with all the throbbing, perchance?"

"Um…yes…"

"Okay, thought so, just checking."

"Sorry bout that." She said sheepishly.

"About what? I assume all this throbbing pain came from you defending yourself."

"Yes, and Ocelus."

"Well, then, nothing to be sorry for. I would have done the same if I'd been in your shoes."

She looked up at him.

"Well, I just hated hurting you."

The Doctor smiled at her.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better. I really wasn't myself, was I?"

"No."

"Well, you were defending yourself against a homicidal stranger; think of it that way. I was basically asleep for most of that time."

He rubbed his face.

"And I'm glad I was. Damn, Rose, what the bloody Hell you'd do to me? I'm assuming you mashed my foot since I can't walk on it without sharp pain going up my leg but what's with my head?"

"Well, um, when you were about to kill Ocelus. I threw a rock at the back of your head and slapped hard across the face to get you to chase after me and when we reached the waterfall and I was climbing up the rocks towards it, you grabbed my leg and I kicked you in the face to make you let go."

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Blimey, I am glad I was asleep for all of that!" he said. "I think Alcanthus chose the wrong person for his horseman. Rassilon, you can be ruthless when you want to be, you know that?

"That's not all. When Alcanthus came in to his bedroom to rape me, I lured him in close enough and I rammed my feet into his crotch and then when he fell to his knees I kicked him in the head and knocked him out."

The Doctor's eyes bugged out.

"Um…Do I know you? I swear to Rassilon, I was talking to Rose Tyler a moment ago but now there seems to be some kind of Amazon warrior in her place or something. Are you a clone and switch places with Rose and I didn't catch on?"

Rose giggled as the Doctor stared at her proudly.

"Well, I guess since you started beating up Alcanthus, I can go in and finish the job, eh?" he said.

"And Ocelus too. Ocelus got his licks in as well."

The Doctor grinned.

"Good for him! Nice to know that he's become more than a mindless slave." He said happily. "Once we get him off this planet and help him find someplace else to live, I think he'll have a great future ahead of him."

"I do too. And I can't wait to get back to the TARDIS."

"Me too. Rassilon, I don't think I'll ever be so happy to see her in all my lives."

He glanced down at his outfit and grimaced.

"And get out of this sodding thing. It's hotter 'n Hell in this thing. I want my suit and trainers back now."

"I don't."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and looked at her as Rose giggled.

"Ahem…Let's get one thing perfectly clear. When I get this thing off of me, it is being destroyed. I don't want to ever see this thing again, Rose Tyler, so you can get all the kinky uses for it out of your brain this instant!"

Rose pouted.

"Uh huh, thought so." The Doctor muttered.

He ran his right hand down it as he stared at it in disgust as Rose pointed through the trees.

"Ocelus should be right through…"

"You bastard!! Damn you!"

Rose jerked her hand around and saw the Doctor staring at his right hand angrily. He jerked his head towards Rose.

"He took my ring, didn't he!" he yelled, showing her his hand.

Rose nodded.

"He…took it off you after he knocked you out. Said you didn't need it since love wasn't going to be a part of your life anymore."

"What'd he do with it?"

"He…uh…threw it and it went down a grate."

The Doctor gritted his teeth.

"That is it! He is dead!" he muttered. "Kidnaps us, torments my girl and my friend, turns me into a killer and THROWS AWAY MY RING? Boy is goin down, Rose and goin' down hard!"

He shook his head and stared at his hand as he muttered something in Gallifreyan. Rose squeezed his hand making a mental note to get him another one next time they visited her mother.

After another minute, they finally came upon Ocelus still lying unconscious against the tree. Rose glanced back at the Doctor and swallowed as he saw the guilt in his eyes.

"I am so glad I'm back to normal, Rose. I'd hate to think what would have happened if he had unleashed me on other worlds." He said sadly.

Rose came near him and he gave her a sad smile as he put his arm around her.

They looked over as Ocelus groaned. Looking at each other, they hurried over and bent down next to him.

"Ocelus?" Rose said, as she gently shook him.

Ocelus groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Ow, my head." He groaned.

The Doctor put his hand on Ocelus's shoulder.

"Ocelus?" he asked worriedly.

Ocelus glanced over and gasped as he saw the Doctor.

"No! It's okay; he's back to normal, Ocelus." Rose said quickly.

Ocelus breathed a sigh of relief and grimaced as he felt the back of his head.

"Ocelus, I'm so sorry I did that to you." The Doctor said.

Ocelus shook his head.

"It's okay; you didn't know what you were doing." He said. "I've had worse from Alcanthus."

He glanced at Rose.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, apart from this gash on my leg and slipping and hitting my chin on a rock; but I guess it could be worse." She said.

The Doctor turned her face gently and stared at her chin.

"It is starting to bruise a bit." He said. "Once we get back to the TARDIS; I think all of us are going to go down to med bay."

"Which brings us to the next question." He added. "Where is my TARDIS?"

"It's in a storage area near the back of the compound." Ocelus said. "Rose and I were trying to carry you there before we were forced to come out here."

"Carry me?"

"You were mindless." Rose said. "You wouldn't listen to anyone except Alcanthus and so if we had told you to move you wouldn't have done it, we had to carry you."

The Doctor shook his head.

"So then I assume the narcissistic slave master showed up and ordered me to come after you."

"Yeah, you woke up in our arms and we had to drop you and…"

She smiled sheepishly.

"I…dropped you on your head. That's also why it's throbbing."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open as he stared at her.

"Rassilon, Rose, it's a wonder I don't have brain damage after all the abuse I took from you!"

He looked at Ocelus.

"She beat the crap outta my face and about broke my foot and everyone thinks I'm the ruthless one!"

He grinned at Rose as she swatted his arm.

The Doctor slapped his hands together.

"Well, now that the gang's all here, I think we ought to get a move on."

He looked at Ocelus.

"Alcanthus the wonder wanker called me awhile ago on my handy dandy speaker and ordered me to come back to him with Rose in tow. I told him I had killed you so here's what I want you to do. You know exactly where the TARDIS is at?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Great. Can you get back inside to it?"

"I think I can."

"Fantastic. Here take my TARDIS key and…"

He sighed as he glanced down.

"Sorry, I don't have the key with me at the moment seeing as how I'm dressed like a dominatrix at the moment."

He eyed Rose as she waggled her eyebrows.

"Don't even think it!" he said pointing to her.

He rolled his eyes as Rose giggled to herself.

"Anyway…do you know where my clothes are at?"

"Yes, yours are still back in that first room."

"Great. Go to that room first and get in my inside jacket pocket. You'll see my sonic screwdriver. It's a long thing silver probe with a blue tip and beside it is my key to the TARDIS. Get that and get yourself to the TARDIS and once you're inside, show the TARDIS the sonic screwdriver. Tell her you're with me and that she needs to come outside the compound where we can see her. She'll do everything else."

"'Show' the ship this sonic screwdriver thing?"

"Yes, she'll see it. Hold it up to her."

Ocelus glanced at Rose.

"The TARDIS is alive." She explained.

Ocelus was taken aback.

"She…I mean, it…is?"

"She…the TARDIS is a she and yes, she's alive and fully sentient. Just tell her you're with me."

He paused.

"Actually, better give her my password too so she won't see the sonic screwdriver and think you've kidnapped me. Show her the screwdriver and say "Banana Daiquiri."

Ocelus raised her eyebrow.

"Banana Daiquiri?"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Don't ask." She said.

Ocelus shrugged. 

"Okay, I'll try to get back to the TARDIS, Doctor."

He nodded.

"Just do your best. If Alcanthus is outside with us, you probably will just have his slaves to deal with and I'm sure you can get around them."

"Oh yeah."

"Great. Now get going. Rose and I better get going before ants in his pants gets worried about what's taking so long. Good luck!" 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Alcanthus paced back and forth nervously.

"Where is my horseman?" he muttered. "He should have been back by now."

He pushed aside the thought that the Doctor has broken free.

"He is mine now. I will not lose him!" he muttered.

He finally stopped pacing and summoned two slaves to his side.

"Yes, master!"

"I want you to go and find my horseman. He is on his way back with the female as his captive. I want to make sure he is alright and he is still in my power."

"Yes, master!"

"Here." He said, reaching into his robes and pulling out a small ray gun. "Use this only if you have to. I don't want my horseman damaged if I can help it."

"Yes, master!"

The slave nearest him took the gun and Alcanthus waved them away. He watched as they hurried towards the exit.

"I will not lose my horseman now. Not when I'm so close to conquering the universe." He muttered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus hurried silently out of the woods towards the compound. He quickly darted between rocks and bushes as he headed towards the exit door. Reaching a bush near the exit door, he crouched down and stared at it as he tried to figure out what to do next.

"Okay, how do I get inside without tripping the alarm?" he muttered

His eyes widened as the door suddenly opened and two slaves hurried out. He watched as they hurried towards the woods and when they were past him, he quickly ran and grabbed the door before it shut.

"Thanks, idiots!" he said, looking back at the slaves who were disappearing into the woods.

He quickly slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alcanthus sighed. He had resumed his pacing and every moment he was getting more and more nervous. He couldn't lose his hold on the Time Lord. It was unthinkable.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out his communicator.

"Horseman!" he said, speaking into it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor let out an angry sigh, and he rolled his eyes as he and Rose stopped walking.

"You're being paged." Rose said, pointing at the speaker.

"Don't remind me." He replied.

"Horseman!"

"Horseman!" The Doctor said in a snotty voice.

Rose giggled and put her finger on the button.

"Want me to reply for ya?"

"And say what?"

Rose grinned.

"Um…maybe something like…I'm the horseman. I can't come to the speaker right now because I'm on another world spreading death and destruction and snogging my girl. If you want to leave your name or number, get bent cause I ain't gonna answer ya. Beeeeeeeeep!"

The Doctor laughed.

"I like that! I dare ya to say it. In fact, I'll give ya 5 quid if you say it."

Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Only 5 quid? How cheap can you get?"

"Well, I don't have any pockets in this stupid outfit and I'm not sure how much I have in the TARDIS so 5 quid, take it or leave it."

"HORSEMAN!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" the Doctor screamed as Rose bent over laughing. "I'm trying to negotiate a friendly wager with my woman! I'll get to you when I bloody well feel like it. Go…stare at yourself in the mirror for awhile or something!"

"Anyway, I believe I was offering you 5 quid, so take it or leave it, Rose."

"HORSEMAN! ANSWER ME!"

Rose fell against a tree laughing as the Doctor gritted his teeth and mimed choking Alcanthus.

"Final offer, Rose. You gonna say it or not?"

"You're really serious? He'll catch on!"

"Um…I think he's probably caught on anyway since I've refused to answer the prick's summons four times now. So are you gonna do it or not?" he said.

Rose thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Nah, I won't say it." She said.

"Aw, Rose, come on; you might as well go ahead…"

"Wait, I have something else in mind. Just answer him."

"What?"

He raised his eyebrow.

"Rose, what are you planning?"

"Just…answer him before he has a conniption fit or something."

The Doctor sniggered. He quickly sobered up and pressed the button.

"Yes, master!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Horseman! Why didn't you answer my call?"

The Doctor took his finger off the button.

"Because I don't enjoy talking with you. You are a boorish man with zero intelligence and negative zero fashion sense. You also have a way of speaking that is so melodramatic and over the top you make the Daleks and the Master sound like hillbilly trailer trash. That answer your question?"

Rose bent over laughing as the Doctor flipped off the speaker.

"Okay, so what are you going to say to him?" he added.

"Just talk to him and let me do the rest." Rose replied, gesturing to the speaker.

The Doctor shrugged. He started to press the button.

"Wait, tell him the reason you didn't answer is because I'm givin' ya trouble." She added.

"Okay." The Doctor said shrugging.

He pressed the button.

"Forgive me, master. I'm having trouble keeping Rose under control." 

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

The Doctor jumped and jerked his head around at Rose.

"Keep your finger on the button." She mouthed to him.

The Doctor nodded.

"OH GOD!" Rose screamed, melodramatically. "OH GOD, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME! WAKE UP, DOCTOR! WAKE UP, PUH-LEEEEZE!"

The Doctor covered his mouth and nose to hide his snorting laughter as Rose inched closer to the speaker.

"OH MY LOVE, AWAKE FROM THIS DARK SLEEP ALCANTHUS HAS YOU UNDER AND SAVE ME!"

The Doctor took his finger off the button and bent over laughing.

"Oh Rassilon, I hope he does figure out what's going on because I don't think I can keep a straight face anymore." He said.

Laughing hysterically, he leaned against a tree as Rose giggled.

He paused as he heard Alcanthus let out an evil laugh.

"It's no use, my dear. He's mine and he'll only listen to me."

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock.

"Bloody Hell, the sod actually bought that? Oh Rassilon, now I'm scared, Rose. The man who was gonna use me to conquer the universe is not only madder than a hatter; he's also dumber than a box of rocks!"

Rose bent over laughing as the Doctor grinned.

"Hurry up and bring her to me, Horseman! I need to give you your treatment as soon as possible."

"My treatment? A Swedish massage? That sounds delightful." He said.

"Doctor, you better not say anymore, you're gonna crack yourself up again and you won't be able to answer him."

"Yeah, you're right." He replied.

Clearing his throat, he pushed the button.

"Yes, master!" he said.

He sighed as he took his finger off the button.

"Shall, we, MY DEAR?"

"Ugh! Don't say that. I've had enough of Alcanthus calling me that." Rose said, grimacing.

She took his hand in his and leaned against him as they resumed walking towards the compound.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus breathed a sigh of relief as he neared the storage room door. After managing to evade half a dozen slaves, he had managed to get the Doctor's clothes and make his way back to the storage room. Reaching into his pocket, he found the key to the storage room that all slaves carried and unlocked the door. Glancing around he quickly went inside and shut it closed behind him.

He stared at the TARDIS for a moment and then reaching into the inside pocket of the Doctor's jacket; he brought out the sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS key. Inserting it in the lock, he opened the door and tentatively stepped inside.

"Um…hello? T…TARDIS?" he said, as he looked around trying to figure out if there was some part of the ship he was supposed to talk to.

He gasped and his eyes widened in shock as the ship suddenly started to shake and the TARDIS let out a grumble that sounded to him like anger. Gasping, he grabbed ahold of the ramp railing with one hand while he held up the sonic screwdriver.

"BANANA DAIQUIRI!" he yelled.

His mouth dropped open as the shaking stopped and the TARDIS fell silent.

Shaking his head in wonder, he let go of the railing.

"Um…I'm Ocelus, TARDIS." He said, looking around. "The Doctor and Rose sent me. They're in trouble and the Doctor wants you to move outside the compound where he can get to you."

He gasped and spun around as the front doors slammed shut by themselves. He spun back around as he heard a wheezing sound and saw the control panel glow an eerie green glow as buttons and switches moved by themselves and the central column moved up and down slowly. He walked towards it; his jaw hanging open in awe. 

"Incredible." He muttered to himself. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Doctor, shouldn't we speed up a bit." Rose said, as they kept walking slowly towards the compound.

"Why? Are you eager to see your lover boy?"

"Ick, no." she said, as the Doctor laughed. "But I think if he keeps on thinking you're under his control: it'll be easier to get the drop on him."

"Doesn't matter to me either way if he figures it out or not before I get there. I'm going to win anyway."

"You know, overconfidence can be a bad thing. You should never underestimate your enemies." Rose said.

"True, but I'm pretty sure the guy isn't that much of a fighter given the fact that he enslaved me and three others to do his dirty work for him. Not to mention the fact that he had me in titanium restraints. Titanium, Rose? Come on. I'm strong but I'm not that strong! He's terrified of me, Rose. That's why he keeps calling on the horn every five seconds. He's scared the drug has worn off and I just might be coming after his sorry ass next! The man bullies the people around him because he's insecure about himself. He has to have people bowing and groveling at his feet to feed his massive ego."

He thought for a moment.

"Besides, I want that dim bulb brain of his to work out I'm not under his influence anymore. I would love to see the little coward wet his pants with fear. It would give me a good giggle before I tear him limb from limb."

They paused as they heard the sound of twigs and leaves crunching up ahead of them.

"Ocelus?" Rose asked, looking up at the Doctor.

"Not likely. I doubt if it's Alcanthus too. Probably some of his slaves."

He grabbed Rose's arm as she started to run off.

"No, no, just stay here." He said. "Whatever it is, we can handle it."

Rose nodded. Folding her arms over her chest, she and the Doctor waited quietly as they listened to the sound of crunching leaves and twigs growing louder and louder.

After another moment, they saw two slaves coming through the trees in front of them. The Doctor smirked as they jumped and stared at him and Rose in shock.

"Hello there." He said cheerfully as the slaves stared at him open mouthed. "I don't believe we've met properly. I'm the Oncoming Storm."

"And these…" he said, throwing his fists up in front of him "are my oncoming fists. Say hello, boys!"

Before the slaves could react, the Doctor rammed his fists into their faces. He grinned as the two of them slumped back against the trees, unconscious.

"Wow! That felt good!" he said as he stared down at the slaves.

He turned to Rose.

"What did you think of my witty repartee?" he asked.

"Pretty good. I give it a 9.4"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open.

"Only a 9.4? Rose Tyler, that little witty bon mot rated a 10! Oncoming Storm; oncoming fists. It was genius, Rose!"

"It was okay. I'm just reserving judgment in case you say something wittier." Rose said shrugging, as she walked past him.

"Your little ape brain wouldn't know witty if it came up and gave you a mall charge account!" the Doctor said following her

"Oooo, that was pretty good, Doctor!" Rose said, looking back. "That was a 9.6, that was. Just keep practicing and someday you'll make 10!"

She giggled as the Doctor rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The Doctor and Rose paused at the edge of the woods and glanced around.

"I don't see Alcanthus anywhere." Rose said.

"Me neither. I do however, see the TARDIS." The Doctor said pointing to the familiar blue box just visible behind the compound. "Good boy! I knew he could do it!"

He turned to Rose.

"Once this whole ruse is over, I want you to go and wait for me in the TARDIS and…"

"No way, I'm staying with you."

"No, you will not, Rose!" The Doctor said angrily. "For once you will listen to me when I tell you to stay out of harm's way. This is between me and Alcanthus. It doesn't concern you."

"Like Hell it doesn't."

"Rose, please, just listen to me for a change." The Doctor implored her. "I'm going to kill Alcanthus and I don't want you to see it. You've already seen enough people die. I don't want you to see anymore. Believe me, Rose, if you witness enough people dying in front of you eventually you'll become hardened to it and I don't want that for you. Do as I say, please?"

"But what if you need help?"

"I won't."

The Doctor sighed as Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I realize you have saved me in the past and I appreciate that Rose. But this time I want to go it alone. I'm not sure how strong a fighter Alcanthus is, and I want to give him my full attention without worrying about where you are. If I need help I will call for it. But otherwise, stay back please."

"I'm just scared I'm gonna lose you again." Rose said.

The Doctor pulled her into an embrace.

"You won't lose me." He said tenderly. "Alcanthus managed to enslave me once, but I'll be damned if I'll let him do it again. Besides, I have two people depending on me."

He kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry, Rose. I'll be alright." He said

He rubbed her back as Rose held him tight.

"Horseman!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Well, here goes, I guess." He said to Rose.

He kissed her lips.

"I will be alright, I promise." He said.

"Horseman!"

He pushed the button.

"Yeah, what d'ya want?" he said.

There was a long pause on the other end.

"I said, what d'ya want, Alcanthus? I'm busy having a tender moment with my girl!"

Another long pause.

"You…you're…" Alcanthus stuttered.

The Doctor smirked.

"I'm what? Free? Yup, I am. Have been for the past forty five minutes or so."

He grinned as he heard no reply.

"You will be mine again." He finally said.

The Doctor looked at Rose and rolled his eyes.

"If you want me, then come get me." He replied.

"What?"

"Come out here, Alcanthus. We're standing at the edge of the woods. You want me back so badly; then you come out here and face me man to man. Otherwise, I'm coming in after you and trust me you don't want that!"

He sighed when he heard nothing from Alcanthus.

"Come on coward! Get out here and face me!" the Doctor said angrily. "Show me you're more than just a schoolyard bully."

He paused.

"And when I mean alone, by the way, I mean alone. None of your little lackeys to hide behind. This will be one on one to the death."

He smirked as he heard Alcanthus's nervous breathing.

"What's wrong, Alcanthus, scared?" he taunted. "Thinking about how maybe it wasn't such a good idea to try to control the Oncoming Storm? Thinking about how maybe the Daleks and everyone else had the right idea when they tried to put as much distance between themselves and me as they could possibly get?"

He paused.

"Or are you thinking about your impending death perhaps? Because you were right about one thing you said to me, Alcanthus. I am your death. So come and face your death, Alcanthus, and get it over with. You have five minutes to come outside and face me before I come inside and start tearing the place apart looking for you."

"Leave."

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"What was that?" he said.

"Leave, Doctor. I won't stop you. Take Rose and leave."

The Doctor guffawed.

"Oh no, Alcanthus, you aren't getting out of it that easily." He said. "I'm not leaving you here to terrorize more innocent people and continue with your nutty schemes of ruling the universe. You knew what you might be getting into when you pulled my TARDIS down from the sky. Now get out here, you spineless coward. It's time to pay the piper!"

He paused.

"And you now have 4 minutes and 23 seconds to get your butt out here and believe me; I am keeping track of time. So get out here if you know what's good for you."

He took his finger off the button.

"D'ya think he's gonna come out?" Rose asked.

"He better. Because if I have to go in there looking for him, he's gonna be in big trouble." The Doctor replied.

He kissed her cheek.

"Go ahead and go to the TARDIS. If he does come out, there's no telling what he might have with him. If he's that scared, he might come out firing at me and I don't want you to get hit."

He hugged her tight as Rose sighed deeply.

"I won't let anything happen to me." He said. "Just wait inside the TARDIS and if I need your help, I'll call to the TARDIS and she'll let you know. But don't come out until that happens, promise?"

Rose nodded reluctantly.

"I love you, Rose."

"I love you too, Doctor."

They looked over as the compound door opened and Alcanthus tentatively stepped outside.

"Well, what d'ya know? Chicken Little found it in himself to be a man and face me." He said.

He looked at Rose.

"Wait here then since he's out here just in case he is going to try something. Once I get him distracted then you run to the TARDIS, okay?"

"Yes, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Wish me luck."

"Good luck and please, be careful."

"I will."

He gave her hand a squeeze and turning, he strode out of the woods.

"Well, nice to see you showed up. Smart decision." He said to him.

"I told you to leave, Doctor. Why don't you take my offer and go?" Alcanthus said.

"I told you why. I want you dead at my feet." The Doctor said stopping several feet in front of him.

He smirked as Alcanthus swallowed hard.

"You…you won't go through with it."

"Wanna bet?"

"If you kill me you'll be giving in to your dark side."

"Oh I know. And I know I really shouldn't give in to my darkness; but you see, after killing those two slaves I got a real taste for blood and the only way I'm gonna satisfy my blood thirst is to see your beating heart lying on the ground beside you."

He raised his eyebrow as Alcanthus cringed.

"What's wrong, Alcanthus? You should be proud to hear me say that. After all, that's what you wanted, isn't it? To turn me into a heartless, soulless killing machine that kills for the sheer thrill of it?"

He gazed directly into his eyes.

"Or are you put off of that now that I've decided to target you?" he said.

"Just leave. Leave me alone."

"No! I'm not leaving you alone, you pathetic little coward! You've ruined enough people's lives and I'm sure if I take Rose and Ocelus and leave you'll keep on doing exactly what you're doing, you'll just move your base of operations somewhere where no one can find you. Now quit sniveling and fight me!"

His eyes went down to Alcanthus's hand as it moved towards his robe. He smirked.

"Got a weapon ready? I figured you would do that. It takes an honorable man to fight without cheating."

"You're one to talk, Doctor. I'm sure you've got weapon hidden on you as well!"

The Doctor's jaw dropped.

"Yeah? Where is it at?" he said, gesturing to the skin tight body suit. "I think if I tried to hide any weapon in this monkey suit you put me in, it would stick out pretty well. Unless I stuck it up my arse, and I'm not about to walk around with a ray gun up my bum. No, unlike you, I don't need sodding ray guns to finish someone off. I can kill with my bare hands. Which, I think you're already well aware of."

He walked slowly towards him.

"But enough chit chat, time for the bloodletting to begin." He said, with a smirk. 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Rose gulped. She knew what the Doctor was doing. He was using scare tactics to unnerve Alcanthus into making a mistake while fighting. But still, hearing him talk this way sent shivers up her spine. She smirked as Alcanthus looked around him trying to find a way to escape as the Doctor advanced on him. The scare tactics certainly were working. Alcanthus was now even more terrified than he was before he came outside. She relaxed a bit. The Doctor was a seasoned fighter. He knew what he was doing and she was confident he would win. Especially since Alcanthus wasn't exactly thrilled about battling him in the first place. Leaning back against the tree, she watched and waited for the right moment to run to the TARDIS.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, you gonna make the first move or shall I?" the Doctor asked.

"Please…don't hurt me."

The Doctor sighed.

"I guess from that response, it'll be me starting off the fight." He said.

"Listen, I'm sorry for doing this."

The Doctor snorted.

"Yeah, I bet. Funny how you didn't seem too sorry when I was under your control."

"Look, just go."

The Doctor sighed angrily as he came face to face with him.

"No. Got that? I'm not gonna leave until one of us is dead."

His eyes widened as Alcanthus's terrified look was suddenly replaced with a smug grin. He let out a grunt as Alcanthus decked him and sent him flying backwards.

"Foolish Time Lord." Alcanthus said, grinning at him. "I was only acting cowardly to bring your guard down, and you fell for it like the little overconfident idiot that you are. You don't think I managed to become the master of this compound and all my slaves by being a sniveling weakling, do you?"

He smirked as the Doctor got to his feet.

"If it's a fight you want, my horseman. I will gladly oblige you!"

"Good, because I'll feel so much better killing you if you're fighting back instead of just sitting and cringing in a corner."

"Oh believe me, horseman, when I get through with you; you'll be the one sitting in a corner begging for mercy."

The Doctor snorted.

"Still overconfident, I see?"

"No, the snort was me thinking you're an idiot for thinking you're anywhere near being a match for me."

"We shall see, horseman. We shall see."

"Well, stop flapping your gums and get to it. Show me what you've got, Alcanthus!"

"With pleasure!"

The Doctor ducked as he threw a punch at him. Smirking, he brought his fist up and hit Alcanthus square in the gut. His smirk grew wider as Alcanthus bent over in pain.

"Nice moves, Alcanthus. I'm impressed. Maybe if you lay off the food and spent more time in the gym, you might actually be able to dodge me."

He grunted as Alcanthus hit him in the jaw.

"Maybe you should learn to stop underestimating your opponents, horseman. I can't have you making mistakes when I unleash you on other worlds, you know."

"Rassilon, are you still holding on to that hope? You really need to get a reality check, Alcanthus."

The Doctor dodged another punch.

"Ho hum, you're so slow I could stop and take a bloody tea break if I wanted to." He said bored as he dodged a left hook. "And Rose was so worried that I wouldn't be able to defeat you."

"Ah yes, where is my concubine? I look forward to having some hard, rough intercourse with her after I get done with you."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, that was the wrong thing to say."

Alcanthus grunted as the Doctor kicked him in the face and followed it up with a punch to the jaw.

"No one talks that way about Rose and gets away with it." He said.

Alcanthus smirked as he wiped the blood from under his nose.

"Still being an emotional weakling, Doctor?" he said. "You're letting your emotions rule you and that will get you into trouble."

"Trouble? I'm not the one who's got blood pouring from his nose now." The Doctor taunted.

He ducked as Alcanthus swung at him and grinned as he took several steps backwards towards the trees.

"What's wrong? Am I too much for you?" the Doctor said, coming towards him.

He raised his eyebrow as he saw Alcanthus reach into his robe.

"And now you're resorting to weapons like the cheater you are."

"No, Doctor, I'm calling my slaves and resorting to extra help like the cheater I am. I just signaled them to come out."

The Doctor jerked his head around and cursed as the compound door opened and three slaves came out brandishing daggers.

"I knew eventually you'd be sending the hired help out here after me!" he said.

"Kill him!" Alcanthus said to his slaves.

"Yes, master!" they responded in unison.

The Doctor sighed. He hated having to do anything to Alcanthus's slaves especially since they weren't in control of their minds just as he hadn't been. But if they were willing to take him on, he was willing to engage them in a fight. He looked all around him as the slaves circled him. Looking around for Alcanthus, he snorted when he saw him walking over to nearby tree and lean against it to observe.

"Yeah, just take yourself a short break, Alcanthus. I'll be with you sooner than you think." The Doctor said to him.

He turned his attention back to the slaves. He sneered as the first one waved his knife at him. The Doctor readied himself as the slave crouched down and prepared himself to spring. Suddenly, the Doctor jerked to the side as another slave behind him tried to stab him in the back. 

"Oooo, nice one." He said. "Nice to know you aren't mindless enough to think of teamwork."

He crouched as all three slaves thrust their daggers at him from three sides.

"See, Doctor, even my slaves are more than a match for you." Alcanthus crowed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada." The Doctor muttered as he hopped back up.

The Doctor looked to his right and did a roundhouse kick. He grinned as his foot hit the slave in the face and he stumbled to the ground.

"Eat your heart out, Bruce Lee!" he yelled.

He ducked as the slave to the left of him thrust his dagger at him, and kicked the slave behind him in the gut.

"Or Jackie Chan, or Jet Li maybe!" he yelled.

"Or maybe Hong Kong Phooey!"

"Shut up, Tyler! I didn't ask for your input!" He yelled to her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alcanthus turning and heading towards Rose. Looking at the slave to his left, he quickly kicked the wrist holding the dagger. As the slave grunted and threw the dagger up, he quickly caught it and threw it at a tree directly in front of Alcanthus. He wagged his finger at him as Alcanthus gasped and turned to glare at him.

"Nope! No going after Rose!" he said. "This is between you and me."

He glanced around at the slaves.

"Or it was anyway until the three stooges got out here." He added.

He cursed as he saw Alcanthus hurry towards Rose.

"Rose, run, now!" he yelled to her.

As Rose sprinted out of the trees, Alcanthus sped up and ran diagonally to intercept her. Cursing under his breath, the Doctor turned to his right and repeated his wrist kicking move on the slave. Grabbing the Dagger, he turned and raised it above his head.

"One warning is all I give to people, Alcanthus!" he yelled at him. "And here's what happens when they don't heed that warning!"

Grunting, he threw the dagger and smirked as it caught Alcanthus in the back of the leg. As he fell to the ground, the Doctor yelled to Rose to hurry and turned back to the fight as Rose sped towards the TARDIS. Turning to his right so he could keep an eye on her, he threw another punch at the weaponless slave hitting him in the face and knocking him out. Breathing a sigh of relief as she saw her reaching the TARDIS, he turned his attention back to the fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ocelus gasped as he heard someone banging on the door.

"Let me in, TARDIS, it's Rose!"

She breathed a sigh of relief as the doors swung open and she quickly ran in. She grabbed hold of the railing gasping for air as the doors swung back.

"Rose? Are you okay? Where's the Doctor?" Ocelus said, hurrying over to her.

"The…the Doctor's around the corner. He was fighting Alcanthus until he called three of his slaves out and now he's fighting them instead. Alcanthus tried to go after me but the Doctor threw a dagger into his leg and that's the last thing I saw before I turned my head and ran all the way here."

"Is the Doctor alright?"

Rose nodded.

"So far, he's more than holding his own. One of the slaves is knocked out and I'm sure the other two won't last very long."

"What do we do?" Ocelus asked.

"Nothing." Rose said angrily.

"Rose…"

Rose slammed her hand on the railing.

"I hate when the Doctor sends me away like this. We're a team! I should be out there by his side fighting Alcanthus!"

"I don't understand. You want to fight?"

"Too right I want to fight! Alcanthus screwed with me too. I deserve to get my licks in on him. But the Doctor's concern for me means I have to sit the fight out!"

"And the Doctor being concerned about you…is bad?" Ocelus said, confused.

Rose sighed.

"No, I love that he cares for me. But he still thinks that I can't hold my own like he can. So I have to sit and wait and worry while he plays the male chauvinist."

Ocelus stared at her unsure of what to say. He'd never seen anyone so angry at being left out of a fight. He thought most people would be relieved that someone would want them out of harm's way. But then again, he had only met these two a short time ago and had no idea what they had been through before that.

"He's only doing what he thinks is best, Rose." He said.

Rose snorted.

"Well, sometimes, I wish he would stop thinking what was best for me and let me help him. That's how he gets into trouble, Ocelus, when he thinks he can take on everything himself."

She sighed as she put her head in her hand.

"And I'm scared one of these days his lone wolf attitude is gonna backfire and he'll regenerate again or worse." She said sadly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor smirked as the second slave fell to the ground unconscious. One more left and he could get past this nonsense and get back to Alcanthus. Unless…he had more slaves waiting in the wings which he figured he did. Knowing the coward, he would have him fight the entire compound before he got to him. He took comfort knowing that he had injured him enough to let Rose get away and it was a pretty significant wound as well. He could see him hobbling towards a tree and knew that he had slowed him down enough that he couldn't run away or make any sudden moves. Now if he could only get past the slave in front of him.

He was the only one still holding his dagger and the Doctor could tell he was pretty skilled with it. He was ducking and sidestepping as the slave swung and thrust it at him. 

"You know, you don't have to do this." He said to him. "You could follow Ocelus's example and think for yourself. Besides, do you really want to end up like your two friends?"

He shrugged as the slave said nothing and continued his attack.

"Apparently you do." He said.

He sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He was wasting time and losing precious strength fighting an insignificant combatant. He could see Alcanthus out of the corner of his eye hobbling trying to hide and not wanting to fight him around the trees, he decided to finish this part of the fight up. Keeping his eyes on the slave's movements, he kept moving while he waited for an opening. He grinned as he saw the slave tire and stop thrusting for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, He snatched the slave's arm, wrenched the dagger from his hand and with the butt of it backhanded the slave hard across the face. As the slave fell to the ground unconscious, he turned his attention to Alcanthus who had stopped and was staring at him.

"Where were we? Ah yes…" the Doctor said walking towards him. "Your butt kicking!" 


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"Well, Alcanthus, are you ready to face me now?" The Doctor said as he advanced on him.

"You'll never go through with this, Doctor. If you kill me, you'll be proving me right." He said staggering away from him.

"I've killed before and in all likelihood, I'll kill again. Ending your life will make no difference to me. It will, however, make a difference to others because you won't be around to enslave and torment and wreck havoc on the universe."

"And that is how you justify being a murderer, Doctor?"

"One life for billions." The Doctor replied, shrugging. "If I must end your life to preserve the lives of countless innocents, then I will. This is who I am and this is the life I have chosen for myself. You know this as well, Alcanthus, otherwise you never would have chosen me to be your horseman. And if you are trying to play on my conscience in order to get out of your death, don't bother. As I told you before, you chose your fate the minute you ordered your tractor beam to pull down my ship, now you must live with the consequences. So, enough talk, Alcanthus. It's time to finish this once and for all."

"But, Doctor…"

The Doctor let out a frustrated yell and lunged for him. Alcanthus tried to dodge him but wasn't quick enough and he let out a grunt as the Doctor hit him in the face.

"I'm through talking!" The Doctor yelled at him. "I'm through with this place and I'm through with you! It ends now!"

"Fine, Doctor, let's finish this!" Alcanthus yelled back as the tried to move back away from him. "It will end now, but not for me!"

He reached into his robe and pulled out a ray gun. The Doctor ducked as a laser bolt zoomed past his head. Alcanthus fired again and smirked as this time the bolt hit the Doctor's left leg. As the Doctor gritted his teeth in pain, Alcanthus aimed and fired at his head. Instinctively, the Doctor ducked and missed the bolt in the nick of time, but Alcanthus was waiting for him with an uppercut to the jaw. He laughed as the Doctor's head snapped back and he fell to the ground, dazed.

"So, Time Lord, you aren't as invincible as you thought, and now you have a wounded leg just like me. But unlike me, you are about to get a hole in your head."

He aimed at his head and then paused as he had a thought.

"And by the way, Doctor, I do know about your ability to regenerate. I don't know what life you are on, but if you regenerate, I will fire again and again and again until you are dead. So, say your prayers, Doctor."

He aimed the ray gun at his head as the Doctor struggled to his feet.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"No!" Rose screamed.

Alcanthus jerked his head around and saw her and Ocelus standing at the back of the building watching them. He sneered at them.

"Well, well, target practice." He said, aiming the gun at them.

"NO!"

Alcanthus grunted and toppled over as the Doctor slammed into his back. In a blind rage, the Doctor pummeled him with his fists repeatedly.

"Doctor, wait!"

The Doctor paused as Rose ran up to him.

"Rose, get back in the TARDIS!" he ordered

"Doctor, it's over. He's defeated." Rose said, pointing to the battered and bloodied Alcanthus. "Let's go home."

"Rose, I'm not through yet. He's still alive!" The Doctor replied. "I can't let him live!"

"Yes, you can."

The Doctor and Alcanthus both stared at her.

"Doctor, let the police or somebody like that take him into custody and deal with him."

"I can't risk that, Rose. They might let him go or he might escape." The Doctor replied. "I have to make sure it ends now."

Rose sighed.

"Doctor, this isn't justice. This is revenge." She said, laying a hand on his arm. "You're not doing this for the good of mankind, you're doing this because you're angry at what he did to you and me and Ocelus. It's time to step back and let someone else step in. Let it go."

She could tell the Doctor was thinking it over.

"Doctor, please, you're starting to scare me. This isn't like you. I've never seen you act this savagely towards your enemy before. It's like when you were with the Dalek in Van Statten's compound. Even after it stopped fighting, you wanted it dead and I know why. You were angry at what the Daleks did to your people, and you were angry at that Dalek for holding me hostage and threatening to kill me. Fear and anger make you do irrational things and that's what's driving you now. So let cooler heads step in and handle the situation before you do something you'll regret."

The Doctor sighed and nodded.

"You're right, Rose." He said. "If I kill him now, I'm no better than he is."

He glared at Alcanthus for a moment and then seized his robes.

"Where are we?" he snarled at him. "What planet is this?"

"Magera." Alcanthus replied.

"Magera…Ooooh, now it makes sense." The Doctor said as realization hit him.

"What, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Magera is for the most part uninhabited. It's a rocky, barren, desert planet with little water. It can't support much life. Although I suspect this patch of land has been terraformed which would explain the grass and trees but outside of this there is nothing but desert."

He looked down at Alcanthus.

"And that explains why you've been able to carry on for so long. You and your slaves are probably the only people on the whole planet. No one comes here so there is no one to bother you. Well, unfortunately for you, I know the planets around it and who the galactic patrol is. So once we have you tied up in your little chair with the titanium restraints, I'm gonna contact them and tell them to come get you and throw your pathetic carcass in jail."

He leaned down until he was inches from his face.

"Hear me now and hear me good. I am listening to Rose this time and I will give you a break even though you don't deserve it. But if you escape, you better make damn sure you go somewhere where I'll never find you because the next time there will be no mercy."

He leaned up and punched Alcanthus in the face knocking him out.

"Thank you, Doctor." Rose said, taking his hand.

The Doctor sighed as he stared down at Alcanthus.

"I just hope you're right about this, Rose." He said softly. "Because if he escapes and we can't stop him, he could make the Time War look like a cake walk."

Rose scooted over next to him and wrapped her arm around him as he kissed her cheek and laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One week later

"All ready for bed?" The Doctor asked Rose as she came out of the bathroom.

"Yup, just gotta get something from my room. I'll be right back."

The Doctor shrugged. As she hurried out of his bedroom, he pulled back the covers and sat down. He examined the burn mark on his leg. It had completely healed as had all of his other wounds. Alcanthus was locked away in a maximum security prison and after checking around the Doctor had found some friends who had been willing to take Ocelus in and help him out while he found a job and started a new life. The other horsemen had completely recovered and after being questioned, had been returned to their homes. As for the slaves and clones, they were being held in a special holding area while they were deprogrammed and evaluated for assimilation into society. Everything was wrapped up now and the Doctor was please. He only hoped that Alcanthus would stay locked up for good.

He smiled at Rose as she entered the room carrying a small paper bag.

"Oh, are we bringing a sack lunch to bed now?" he said to her. "I didn't realize I was so amazing that you ended up hungry afterwards."

Rose giggled and swatted his arm as she sat down beside him.

"You nut." She said. "No, that's not what this is. It's something for you."

The Doctor looked down as she sat the bag in his lap.

"Oh, what's this then?" he muttered, picking it up.

He opened the bag and he gasped as his eyes misted over. Reaching in he brought out an exact duplicate of the ring Alcanthus had thrown away.

"You…you didn't have to." He said.

"No, but I wanted to. I know how much that ring meant to you." She said.

The Doctor smiled softly as she took it from him and gently slid it back on the ring finger on his right hand. She leaned against his shoulder as the Doctor stared down at it.

"Rose, we have any superglue on the TARDIS?" he finally said.

Rose shrugged.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because I'm gonna fuse this ring to my finger so I can make sure it stays there!"

Rose giggled. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you, Doctor."

"I love you too, my Rose. With all my hearts."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose lay beside the Doctor as he slept soundly. They had spent the past hour and a half making love and the Doctor with a contented smile has fallen into an exhausted sleep. Rose, however, didn't join him. For the past week she had been mulling over the Doctor's words to her about Alcanthus giving him a small preview of his future. He was going to tell her what it meant when Alcanthus had interrupted him. She wanted to hear the rest but she'd been afraid to bring it up while the Doctor was trying to heal and get the situation with Ocelus sorted out. But now that everything had calmed down, she knew she couldn't wait any longer. She had to know.

"Doctor." She said, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Muh?" The Doctor mumbled in his sleep.

"Wake up."

"Muh nuh nuh…"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor groaned.

"What, Rose?" he said sleepily.

"I…I want to talk to you."

"Can…it wait till morning?"

"No, I just want to know something." Rose replied.

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and groaned.

"What, Rose?" he said sleepily.

"What…what you said to me when we were behind the waterfall; about Alcanthus giving you a small preview of your destiny. You were gonna tell me but you got cut off. I want to hear the rest."

The Doctor groaned.

"Bollocks, I was hoping you'd forgotten that." He muttered.

"Please, Doctor, tell me." Rose said, stroking his bare chest.

"If I tell you, will you let me sleep the rest of the night?"

"Yes."

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He laid his hand back on his chest and stared up at the ceiling and for a moment Rose thought he wasn't going to say anything.

"It was in my 6th life." He finally said. "I was summoned to Gallifrey to stand trial."

"Stand trial for what?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Conduct unbecoming a Time Lord."

"What's that mean?"

"It means I meddle in history which I'm not supposed to do but I do it anyway because unlike the rest of the Time Lords, I can't sit by and watch evil run rampant and not help out. It isn't the first time they put me on trial. They did it in my 2nd life as well and I ended up being forced to regenerate and got banished to Earth for awhile. But anyway, back to my 6th life; I was put on trial by the High Council and the prosecutor was this guy named the Valeyard. There was this computer network called the Matrix that was the repository for all Time Lord knowledge, and the Valeyard was using extracts of some of my adventures as proof of my meddling in time and space. Except the extracts were all tampered with and edited so it made me look bad and among other things made it look like I committed genocide. It was all lies of course, but no one believed that anyone could infiltrate the matrix and tamper with it until the Master appeared in the matrix and proved it was possible. Then I finally figured out who this Valeyard was and…"

He paused and stared up at the ceiling.

"Yes? Who was the Valeyard, Doctor?"

The Doctor sighed.

"Me."

"You?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, the Valeyard is a dark version of me." The Doctor replied. "Completely evil and insane and apparently he's supposed to appear between my twelve and thirteen lives. I ended up entering the matrix and defeating him but he managed to escape anyhow and I ended up fighting him a couple more times in other lives. And each time I did I would stare at him and know that he could be my future and it absolutely terrified me. I've tried everything I can to keep away from the path that would lead me to that future but it seems like it's all been for naught since my dark side is emerging more and more now. When I was in my 6th life, my twelfth and thirteenth lives seemed so far in the future, but now that I'm in my tenth…"

He trailed off and stared at the ceiling. Rose stared at him completely in shock. She had no idea what to say to all of this.

"I've thought a lot about it especially after the Time War happened." The Doctor finally said. "And I know that after the Time War and the destruction of my people, it started getting worse and I began to think and do things that I never would have considered when I was younger. I was scared because like I said I was doing everything in my power to avoid becoming the Valeyard but now I know that there are turning points in a person's life or lives that shape their destiny and what they become. After the Time War and the destruction of Gallifrey I became very bitter and angry and that's when the darkness started to take a hold. So, thinking back, I consider those two events to be key turning points in my life. Whether or not the turning points lead me to becoming the Valeyard in the future, I don't know but I pray to Rassilon, it doesn't because I don't want to become the very thing I'm fighting against."

"You won't."

The Doctor glanced at her.

"How do you know?"

"The goodness in you won't let you."

"My good side didn't stop Alcanthus when he changed me into the horseman."

"No, but it did make you fight to regain control of your mind. You could have stayed the horseman and brought destruction on the universe; but you fought it because the good in you is stronger than the dark and wouldn't let you stay evil. That's why I don't think this Valeyard will be in your future. You won't let it happen, Doctor. Like you said, you're doing everything you can to keep away from it. If you were really that dark wouldn't you be doing just the opposite?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Well, like I said before, Doctor. We all have dark sides. Not everyone who has a dark side becomes evil and you are one of the kindest, caring, compassionate people I have ever met. Blimey, Doctor, if everyone on Earth was like you and went out of their way to help people and make a difference there wouldn't be any more wars or poverty or disease or any of the other evils we have. Most people say they're only going to help others but you get out there and do it. You are an example for the rest of us for how good can triumph over evil and there is no way that goodness can ever be corrupted. It might go away for awhile like it did with the horseman but it finds its way back because it's a part of who you are."

"Rose."

"Yeah."

"Did I ever tell you how awesomely, fantastically, super-spectacular you are?"

Rose grinned.

"Yup, all the time."

"Good, because I want you to know that." He said, smiling at her. "You are. You are a rare light that shines in the universe and don't ever let that radiance burn out, Rose, because wherever you go darkness can't exist."

"Awwwwww…" Rose said, as the Doctor kissed the top of her head. "Now see, would this Valeyard character ever say that? You aren't as dark as you think, Doctor. Now you are a nutter; but it's the fun, entertaining kind of nutter not the psychopathic, blood on the knife, foam dripping from the mouth kind of nutter."

"Gee, thanks, Rose. I'm so glad to hear that." The Doctor said, shaking his head as Rose pinched his cheek. "Well, it's nice to know my insanity amuses you and relieves your boredom. In that case, I shall endeavor to keep on being crackers just so you can have a laugh at my expense."

"Cool! Thanks, I'd appreciate that!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes as Rose giggled.

"'Sides, if this Valeyard ever appears I'll just give you a swift kick in the arse and tell you to behave and that will be the end of that."

The Doctor stared at her with wide eyes.

"You planning on me dying several deaths in the near future?" he asked.

"Nope, just planning on staying with you a loooooong time. In fact I was thinking of crackin' that Skasas Paradigm just so I could use it to live forever and keep an eye on your crazy butt!"

She giggled.

"And if you think I have a crazy butt, you should see the rest of me." She said, imitating the Doctor as she poked his shoulder repeatedly.

"Um, Rose."

"Yeah?"

"Are you on any medication that I should have been made aware of when you first came on board two years ago?"

"Nope, my craziness came from being around you and you rubbing off on me."

"Oh Rassilon, than the universe is in danger then!"

She swatted his arm as he chuckled. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm bushed. And now that I've explained myself I want to go back to sleep, okay?"

"Sounds fine with me and quit worrying about this Valeyard, Doctor. You're never gonna become him."

She yawned.

"Trust me." She said sleepily.

The Doctor watched as she closed her eyes and in a few moments was fast asleep.

"I hope you're right, Rose." He murmured. "For the universe's sake, I hope you're right."

He laid his head near the top of hers and with a contented sigh, drifted off to sleep.

THE END


End file.
